Why in the news?

A pack of wild dogs, or Dholes, in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) have suffered severe exfoliating skin infection which is an alarming fungal and bacterial infection.

About Mudumalai Tiger Reserve

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve is situated in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiris District, at the intersection of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
It forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India’s first biosphere reserve, alongside Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala), Bandipur National Park (Karnataka), Mukurthi National Park, and Silent Valley.
The name “Mudumalai” signifies “the ancient hill range,” dating back 65 million years to the formation of the Western Ghats.
Flora: The reserve boasts tall grasses, including Elephant Grass, and diverse flora such as giant bamboo, Teak, and Rosewood.
Fauna: It is home to flagship species like the Tiger and Asian Elephant, as well as the Indian Gaur, Spotted Deer, Malabar Giant Squirrel, and Jungle Cat, among others.
- With over 260 bird species, Mudumalai hosts 8% of India’s avian species, including rare birds like the Malabar grey hornbill and Malabar pied hornbill.

	Details
Name	Dhole (Cuon alpinus)
Native Range	Central, South, East, and Southeast Asia
Distribution in India	Most of India south of the Ganges, Central Indian Highlands, Western and Eastern Ghats, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Terai region of Indo-Gangetic Plain
Other Names	Asian wild dog, Asiatic wild dog, Indian wild dog, whistling dog, red dog, mountain wolf
Conservation Status	IUCN Red List: Endangered CITES: Appendix II Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule 1
Social Structure	Lives in big, loosely organized groups with several breeding females
Factors Contributing to Decline	Habitat loss, loss of prey, competition with other species, persecution due to livestock predation, disease transfer from domestic dogs
Significance	Besides the tiger, it is the only large carnivore in India that is under IUCN’s ‘endangered’ category.

[2019] Which of the following are in Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve?

(a) Neyyar, Peppara and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

(b) Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Silent Valley National Park

(d) Kawal and Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuaries; and Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve