DEN-SITE SELECTION AT MULTIPLE SCALES BY THE RED FOX (VULPES VULPES SUBSP. MONTANA) IN A PATCHY HUMAN-DOMINATED LANDSCAPE

Abstract Human-wildlife conflict has both serious influences on native willdife population and in socio-economically poor areas. In the Shigar Valley, Karakoram range, Pakistan, subsistence mixed farming is the predominant land use and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes montana) are widely persecuted. Knowledge of the effects of human activity and prey availability on fox behavior in the region is lacking. We carried out 38 random temporary transects in 87 sampling units of grid size 3km x 3km and recorded 42 resting and 24 active natal dens frorm 2015 to 2017. We then evaluated 17 model subsets for describing probabilistic Resource Selection Functions (RSFs) predicting the potential distribution of dens at landscape, patch, and micro-habitat scales in terms of prey availability and anthropogenic factors including roads.We also tested and controlled for associations between den site selection and environmental variables.We found that natal dens had larger and more numerous openings than resting dens, and that abundance of Indian pika (Ochotona roylei) burrows positively influenced fox den site selection. We found that: 1) roads negatively influenced number of dens, although an interaction with pika burrow abundance had a positive effect; (2) number of dens was highest at moderate elevations; and 3) den number was negatively related to forest cover was positive correlated with shrub cover. The findings suggest that den location is important for escape behavior and provide a baseline on den distribution and configuration from which further studies can build for implications of management this species. Further studies are required on the function of foxes in this landscape focusing on ecosystem services such as seed dispersal, carrion removal and regulation of prey populations.