The Malay civet (Viverra
tangalunga), also known as the Malayan civet and Oriental civet, is a viverrid
native to the Malay Peninsula and the islands of Sumatra, Bangka, Borneo, the
Rhio-Lingga Archipelago, and the Philippines. It is listed as Least Concern by
IUCN as it is a relatively widely distributed, appears to be tolerant of
degraded habitats, and occurs in a number of protected areas. The historical
range of the Malay civet includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines
and Singapore. In Malaysia, it is found in Borneo, Banggi Island, Langkawi
Island, Penang Island and in Peninsular Malaysia.
It is also known from Sumatra
and Sulawesi. It was introduced to the Maluku Islands. Museum records indicate
that the Malay civet also occurred on the Indonesian islands of Java, Bawal and
Telok Pai, and on the Philippine island Leyte. In 2012, an individual was
photographed in Singapore. Malay civets occur in a wide variety of habitats
including forests, secondary habitats, cultivated land and the outskirts of
villages. They range in elevations of up to 900 m (3,000 ft) on Gunung Madalan
in Sabah and 1,100 m (3,600 ft) on Usun Apau and the Kelabit Upland in Sarawak.Malay civets are solitary, omnivorous, and primarily terrestrial. Malay
civets are nocturnal. They feed on invertebrates and small vertebrates.
Densities of Malay civets are higher in unlogged than in a logged forests.
Fruit comprises a larger proportion of diet in unlogged forest compared to
logged forest. With fruit contributing a larger percentage of the diet in
unlogged forests, logging may lead to increased competition by other frugivores
such as palm civets which may exploit fruit directly on trees unlike the mainly
terrestrial Malay civet.
Around the Malaysian Bera Lake Malay civets were found in logged forest.Arboreal, frugivorous civets are little affected by logging, whereas terrestrial, carnivorous or insectivorous species might be negatively impacted by logging.
Around the Malaysian Bera Lake Malay civets were found in logged forest.Arboreal, frugivorous civets are little affected by logging, whereas terrestrial, carnivorous or insectivorous species might be negatively impacted by logging.
As a ground-living species it is exposed to snaring and
other forms of ground-level trapping, and hunting with dogs. The limited survey
in areas heavily used by people suggests it is rather well able to persist at
general levels of threat. The species is occasionally hunted for food and
treated as a pest as it raids poultry. In Borneo, the Malayan civet is
negatively affected by the effects of timber harvesting.Viverra tangalunga is protected in Malaysia under the Wildlife
Protection Act (WPA) of 1972. However, in many rural areas of Peninsular
Malaysia civets are considered a pest because they prey on small livestock and
raid fruit orchards. Section 55 of the WPA of 1972 allows farmers to shoot any
wild animal that causes damage to their property, as long as reasonable efforts
have been made to frighten the animal away.
No comments:
Post a Comment