Dholes (Cuon alpinus) represented by nine to eleven sub-species occur from West Asia to China and from Indo-China to Java. Bhutan with 70% forest cover and wild ungulates such as takin (Budorcas taxicolor), sambar (Cervus unicolor), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and wild pig (Sus scrofa) can provide a suitable habitat for a viable population of dholes. It is likely that two sub-species of dholes, C. a. laniger and C. a. primaevus, may occur in the northern and central to southern regions of Bhutan respectively. The propensity of dholes to attack livestock resulted in the people of Bhutan nearly eradicating dholes in the 1970s by poisoning. Absence of dholes led to the resurgence of wild pigs which cause enormous damage to agricultural crops. Dholes reappeared in many parts of Bhutan and in the late 1990s and started causing considerable damage to livestock as the villagers in many parts of Bhutan have the habit of leaving livestock in the forest for feeding sometimes even for weeks at a time.

A three-week consultancy project was carried out in April-May 2004 in Toeb Geog, Thimphu Dzongkhag in which 15 personnel from the Royal Government of Bhutan were trained in methods to survey for dholes and based on 22 questions, 10 villages, (6 on the left bank of Toeb Rong Chhu and 4 on the right bank), were surveyed. Average family size on the right bank, which has the Thimphu-Wangdue Highway passing through it and possibly has more employment opportunities, was 8.42 and on the left bank it was 5.78. Average number livestock held by a family on the right bank was 6.67 and left bank 6.44. Twenty-two respondents, who had lost their livestock to dholes, said that all attacks and kills were made while the cattle were left in the jungle. Interestingly, Emou village, which is on the left bank, which in 2004 had 16 cattle and 4 pigs, had not suffered a single livestock loss so far as the animals were taken to jungle for feeding during the day and stall fed at night. All the 30 respondents said that livestock penned near homes were never attacked by dholes. Combined data for both the right and left bank showed that the livestock availability in 2004 was 128 cows, 36 oxen and 16 calves and the number of animals killed during 1999-2003 was 24 cows,30 oxen and 11 calves. It is clear that more oxen and fewer cows, which are obviously well-protected, are killed in proportion to their availability.

The conclusion of this study was that the dhole is a valuable predator to control the population of wild pigs which can cause enormous economic loss to villagers. With the assistance of programmes like Integrated Conservation Development Emou model should be followed for other villages.