Carnivore Intra-Guilad interactions in the Trans-Himalaya: Snow leopards and co-predators in a human-altered landscape

Abstract

The carnivore guild of the Spiti Valley, a high-altitude Trans-Himalayan cold desert, represents a unique and fragile assemblage adapted to extreme climatic conditions, low primary productivity, and seasonal resource scarcity. Historically, this community was structured around two apex predators: the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and the Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco), with the native red fox (Vulpes vulpes) functioning as the primary mesocarnivore. Despite the global significance of these species, a significant dearth of information remains regarding their functional dynamics and interspecific interactions within this resource-limited landscape. In recent decades, rapid socio-economic transformation driven by tourism and infrastructure development has introduced a novel and highly disruptive element to this guild: the rapid expansion of human-subsidised free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). This thesis examines the ecological structure and functional dynamics of Spiti’s carnivore guild, employing a multidimensional niche framework to assess how coexistence is maintained or disrupted across trophic, spatial, and temporal axes. A central focus is placed on the expanding ecological dominance of free-ranging dogs, whose populations are bolstered by anthropogenic food subsidies, effectively "decoupling" them from natural predator-prey feedback loops. Ultimately, this research provides a critical ecological baseline to inform integrated conservation strategies and the management of feral dogs in high-altitude landscapes.