Assessment of fruit damage caused by Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel (Hylopetes fimbriatus; Gray, 1837) in district Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

The Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel (Hylopetes fimbriatus) is a frugivorous rodent that consumes various fruits and causes economic loss to farmers and gardeners. The current study aimed at assessing the fruit damage caused by the flying squirrel in district Bagh, Azad Kashmir (from December 2020 to December 2021). The data was collected from the direct field observations by recording the number of affected trees (wild and planted) in an area of 300 km2. In addition, fecal pellets (n=100) and stomach contents (n=32) of the species were collected from study sites to investigate the feeding habits of the species. The results of direct observations showed that the Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel consumed fifteen different plant species (cultivated and wild=). The seasonal data revealed that maximum fruits were damaged during summer (44.85 %), followed by winter (31.38%), fall (37.53%), and spring (83.21%), by the squirrel species. The stomach samples analyzed revealed that this rodent species consumed Pinus wallichiana (36%) in spring, Pyrus pashia (50%) in winter, Juglans regia (45%) in summer, and Malus pumila (57%) in fall. The fecal analysis also confirmed similar fruit consumption, as the presence of parts of different fruits was recovered. It is worth mentioning that a total of N = 193 squirrels were killed by the local community due to human-squirrel conflict, for fruit damage during one year. Despite of its protected status, “Near threatened”, the species is being killed brutally and massively by the natives. The area needs to be further explored to estimate population dynamics and feeding habits of the species so that the management program can be implemented.