We provide the first telemetry-based home range size estimate of the Indian pangolin ( Manis crassicaudata ) in Asia, through a case study of the species in Pakistan. The species is categorized as “Endangered” by the IUCN, occurring across four range countries, viz. Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal are having a declining population trend. No published studies exist about its home range size throughout its native range. We fitted a VHF radio transmitter to a rescued pangolin and tracked it to record its specific locations, used later on to construct a minimum convex polygon (MCP) to estimate its home range size. The field estimated size of the Indian pangolin’s home range measured in the current study was 46.69 hectares, and this is the first ever home range size of the Indian pangolin. The summer home range of the species was marginally larger (26.6 hectares) than its winter home range (22.9 hectares). Kernel density analysis revealed a non-uniform distribution of activity within the MCP, with higher utilization observed in the southern areas and a prominent hotspot towards the centre north. Overall, the pangolin showed localized and somewhat clustered movement, where the spatial heatmap confirmed that the pangolin's movement was concentrated in specific core areas. The median distance between sightings was notably higher in the summer, suggesting increased activity or wider ranging behaviour, compared to reduced movement during winter. The study provides insight into the habitat requirements of the species during different parts of the year.
Mahmood et al. (Fri,) studied this question.