Balancing act: persistence of the red fox in the dog-dominated landscapes of the Trans-Himalaya

Free-ranging dogs pose a growing threat to wildlife globally. In the Indian

Trans-Himalaya, growing populations of dogs raise concerns about their

impact on native carnivores. Red foxes in Spiti Valley share spatial and

dietary niches with dogs, despite intraguild killing pressure. Sampling

across a gradient of dog density in the winter, we investigated two

potential mechanisms that might enable the observed sympatry between

foxes and dogs. Using a cue-based foraging station experiment, we

investigated the use of anti-predatory vigilance by foxes. We also used a

camera trap array to assess temporal partitioning between the two canids

and the relative abundance of foxes across the dog-density gradient. Foxes

only increased vigilance in response to simulated dog presence at sites

with high dog densities. We found that temporal overlap was low across

the dog-density gradient in the winter. Fox relative abundances increased

with dog-density, indicating a potential lack of apparent top-down effects

by dogs. Our findings suggest that while temporal partitioning may

reduce encounters, increased vigilance in high-dog-density areas may be

crucial for coexistence. We highlight the complex behavioural mechanisms

facilitating the persistence of a generalist mesocarnivore in the face of

increasing pressure from free-ranging dogs and underscore the need for

similar investigations in other human-dominated landscapes.