Civets are alluring nocturnal carnivores having variant external features with different coat colors, stripes and spots, carpal and metatarsal pads, closed or open peri-anal scent glands in both sexes which have great taxonomic value and make these animals acclimatize in a wide range of geographical landscapes from hilly areas to patchy gardens and thin forests of the low land (Terai) located in or near the human settlement areas. The range of Head Body Length (HBL) and Tail Length (TL) in Paradoxurus spp. and Viverricula spp. distinguishes civets from felids. The study of civets was carried out by direct observation and videos and/or photographs were taken in the sighted places with the record of geological coordinates as evidence. For the record of civets, four wards ( i.e. 7, 10, 11 and 12) were selected from Bharatpur Metropolitan City by lottery methods from the purposively selected 15 wards out of 29. These selected wards were visited randomly once or upon call in a month riding on a motorbike at the speed of 10 to 20 kilometer per hour in average speed and was crossed 2400 kilometers during four years beginning from January, 2016 to December, 2019. As a result, 11 civets of three Species, six Subspecies and two genera ( i.e. Paradoxurus spp. and Viverricula spp.) were recorded. Among these animals, four subspecies were from Paradoxurinae and two were from Viverrinae subfamilies. Likewise, Paradoxurus jerdoni caniscus were reported, 9.09% (n = 1); Paradoxurus hermaphroditus minor , 9.09% (n = 1); Paradoxurus hermaphtoditus pallasii , 54.55% (n = 6); Paradoxurus hermaphroditus hermaphroditus , 9.09% (n = 1); Viverricula indica baptistae , 9.09% (n = 1); and Viverricula indica mayori , 9.09% (n = 1). Conclusively, the first records of the civet Species and Subspecies from thin gardens of fruiting trees and human houses or settlement areas in the city of Bharatpur, Chitwan, have created a great field to explore ecology and population status. However, human-civet conflicts have been created by the potential harm to poultry and pets as well as possible reservoir hosts of parasitic zoonoses and Covid-19 Viruses. Consequently, the population of civets is declining in an alarming rate due to the threats of vehicle and electric accidents, snaring and random killing by the people.
Corbet, G.B. and Hill, J.E. (1992) The Mammals of the Indomalayan Region: A Systematic Review. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Nakabayashi, M., Bernard, H. and Nakashima, Y. (2012) An Observation of Several Common Palm Civets Paradoxurus hermaphroditus at a Fruiting Tree of Endospermum Diadenum in Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia: Comparing Feeding Patterns of Frugivorous Carnivorans. Small Carnivore Conservation, 47, 42-45.
Pocock, R.I. (1939) The Fauna of British India, Including Ceylon and Burma. Published under the Patronage of the Secretary of State for India. Edited by Lt. Col. R.B.S. Sewell. Mammalia, Vol. 1.
Jennings, A.P. and Veron, G. (2011) Predicted Distributions and Ecological Niches of 8 Civet and Mongoose Species in Southeast Asia. Journal of Mammalogy, 92, 316-327. https://doi.org/10.1644/10-MAMM-A-155.1
Chua, M.A.H., Lim, K.K.P. and Low, C.H.S. (2012) The Diversity and Status of the Civets (Viverridae) of Singapore. Small Carnivore Conservation, 47, 1-10.
Rode-Margono, E.J., Voskamp, A., Spaan, D., Lehtinen, J.K., Roberts, P.D., Nijman, V. and Nekaris, K.A.I. (2014) Records of Small Carnivores and of Medium-Sized Nocturnal Mammals on Java, Indonesia. Small Carnivore Conservation, 50, 1-11.
Mukherjee, S., Goyal, S.P., Johnsingh, A.J.T. and Pitman, M.R.P.L. (2004) The Importance of Rodents in the Diet of Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), Caracal (Caracal caracal) and Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India. Journal of Zoology, 262, 405-411. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0952836903004783
Jothish, P.S. (2011) Diet of the Common Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus in a Rural Habitat in Kerala, India, and Its Possible Role in Seed Dispersal. Small Carnivore Conservation, 45, 14-17.
Shepherd, C.R. and Shepherd, L.A. (2010) The Trade in Viverridae and Prionodontidae in Peninsular Malaysia with Notes on Conservation and Legislation. Small Carnivore Conservation, 42, 27-29.
Nyakatura, K. and Bininda-Emonds, O.R.P. (2012) Updating the Evolutionary History of Carnivora (Mammalia): A New Species-Level Supertree Complete with Divergence Time Estimates. BMC Biology, 10, Article No. 12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-10-12
Balakrishnan, M. and Sreedevi, M.B., (2007) Husbandry and Management of the Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica (é. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1803) in Kerala, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 36, 9-13.
Chaudhary, B. (2018) Diversity of Urban Mammals in Bharatpur Metropolitan City Chitwan, Nepal. BMC Journal of Scientific Research, 2, 7-14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342422060
Gundi, V.A.K.B., Kosoy, M.Y., Myint, K.S.A., Shrestha, S.K., Shrestha, M.P., et al. (2010) Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of Bartonella Species Detected in Different Tissues of Small Mammals in Nepal. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 76, 8247-8254. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01180-10
Wang, W., Sharshov, K., Li, Z., Zheng, S., Sun, H., et al. (2016) The Evidence of Clade 7.1 Avian Influenza Virus (H5N1) in Qinghai Lake. Advances in Microbiology, 6, 1053-1061. https://doi.org/10.4236/aim.2016.614098
Wicker, L.V., Canfield, P.J. and Higgins, D.P. (2017) Potential Pathogens Reported in Species of the Family Viverridae and Their Implications for Human and Animal Health. Zoonoses and Public Health, 64, 75-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/zph.12290
Mitchell, M.A. and Tully, T.N. (2020) 42-Zoonotic Diseases Associated with Small Mammals. In: Quesenberry, K.E., Orcutt, C.J., Mans, C. and Carpenter, J.W., Eds., Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery, 4th Edition, W.B. Saunders, St. Louis, Missouri, 609-619. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-48435-0.00042-3
Taye, T. (2009) The African Civet Cat (Viverra civetta) and Its Life Supporting Role in the Livelihood of Smallholder Farmers in Ethiopia. Conference on International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, 6-8 October, 2009. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237100122
Ramirez-Chaves, H.E., Gonzalez-Maya, J.F. and Schipper, J. (2016) Global Small Carnivore Conservation: Geographical Distribution of Small Carnivore Research. Small Carnivore Conservation, 54, 1-3.
Geraldine, V. (2013) Phylogeny of the Viverridae and ‘Viverrid-Like’ Feliforms. In: Goswami, A. and Friscia, A., Eds., Carnivoran Evolution: New Views on Phylogeny, Form and Function, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 64-91.
Géraldine, V., Patou, M.-L., Tóth, M., Goonatilake, M. and Jennings, A.P. (2015) How Many Species of Paradoxurus Civets Are There? New Insights from India and Sri Lanka. Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research, 53, 161-174. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzs.12085
Ellerman, J.R. and Morrison-Scott, T.C.S. (1951) Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals 1758 to 1946. British Museum (Natural History), London.
Nowak, R.M. and Paradiso, J.L. (1983) Walker’s Mammals of the World. 4th Edition, Vol. II, The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1022-1040.
Srinivasulu, C. and Srinivasulu, B. (2012) South Asian Mammals: Their Diversity, Distribution and Status. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3449-8
Menon, V. (2014) Indian Mammals: A Field Guide. Hachette Book Publishing India Pvt. Ltd., Gurgaon, 258-267.
Shrestha, T.K. (1997) Mammals of Nepal with Reference to Those of India, Bangaladesh, Bhutan and Pakistan. R.K. Printers, Teku, Kathmandu, 326-347.
Baral, H.S. and Shah, K.B. (2008) Wild Mammals of Nepal. Himalayan Nature, Kathmandu, 96-97.
Ghimirey, Y. and Acharya, R. (2014) Notes on the Distribution of Large Indian Civet in Nepal. Small Carnivore Conservation, 50, 25-29. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267570138
Amin, R., Baral, H.S., Lamichhane, B.R., Poudyal, L.P., Lee, S., et al. (2018). The Status of Nepal’s Mammals. Journal of Threatened Taxa, 10, 11361-11378. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3712.10.3.11361-11378
Schipper, J., Hoffman, M., Duckworth, J.W. and Conroy, J. (2008) The IUCN Red Listings of the World’s Small Carnivores. Small Carnivore Conservation, 39, 29-34.
Jnawali, S.R., Baral, H.S., Lee, S., Acharya, K.P., Upadhyay, G.P., et al. (2011) The Status of Nepal Mammals: The National Red List Series, Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Kathmandu, Nepal. http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/nepal_redlist_low_09_06_2012_1.pdf.
Bharatpur Climate (Nepal)-Climate-Data.org.
Pocock, R.I. (1933) Viverricula indica baptistae. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, xxxvi, 43.
Pocock, R.I. (1934) Paradoxurus hermaphroditus pallasii. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society, xxxvii, 187.
Chaudhary, B. (2020) Home Point Study of Birds and Mammals Diversity Allied to Humans in Lockdown of COVID-19 at Bharatpur, Chitwan, Nepal. Open Journal of Ecology, 10, 612-631. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2020.109038
Zhou, Y., Chris, N., Francisco, P., Zhang, S., Xie, Z. and David, W.M. (2014) Spatial Organization and Activity Patterns of the Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata) in Central-South China. Journal of Mammalogy, 95, 534-542. https://doi.org/10.1644/13-MAMM-A-185
Mitchell, R.M. (1977) Accounts of Nepalese Mammals and Analysis of the Host-Ectoparasite Data by Computer Techniques. Ph.D. Thesis, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. https://doi.org/10.31274/rtd-180813-5514
Mori, K., Liccioli, S., Marceau, D. and Massolo, A. (2019) A Community Analysis Approach to Parasite Transmission in Multi-Host Systems: Assemblages of Small Mammal Prey and Echinococcus multilocularis in an Urban Area in North America. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 9, 49-55. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.03.012
Shu, C., Jiang, M., Yang, M., Xu, J., Zhao, S., et al. (2020) Flea Surveillance on Wild Mammals in Northern Region of Xinjiang, Northwestern China. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 11, 12-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.11.004
Hillman, A.E., Ash, A.L., Lymbery, A.J. and Thompson, R.C.A. (2019) Anthropozoonotic Significance, Risk Factors and Spatial Distribution of Giardia spp. Infections in Quenda (Isoodon obesulus) in the Greater Perth Region, Western Australia. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 9, 42-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2019.03.019