Paul Carter, posted 23 Aug 2024
SUMMARY
I visited Kathmandu in 2022 (Sep-Oct) and 2023 (Oct-Nov) seeing six mammal species in the city. These included Indian Flying-fox at the Kanti Path colony and Rhesus Macaque at Swayambhunath Temple (aka Monkey Temple).
Contents
A. Mammal list
B. Sites and mammal records
1 – Swayambhunath Temple (aka Monkey Temple).
2 – Kanti Path flying-fox colony
3 – Budhanilkantha suburb.
C. Trip information
D. References
A. MAMMAL LIST
Page numbers refer to the Lynx Edicions (2020 June) checklist.
- Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). p018.3.
- Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata). p153.2.
- Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennantii). p057.1.
- Asian House Shrew (Suncus murinus). p072.3.
- Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx). p078.3.
- Indian Flying-fox (Pteropus medius). p081.4.
B. SITES AND MAMMAL RECORDS
Mammals were seen at the three sites detailed below.
1 – Swayambhunath Temple (aka Monkey Temple).
I visited 2022 Sep 30 and 2023 Oct 20. Wikipedia link for the temple here.
a) Small Indian Mongoose (Urva auropunctata). p153.2. One seen in 2022.
b) Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta). p018.3. Habituated and common. iNat post.
The Wikipedia page comments that “There are holy monkeys living in the north-west parts of the temple. They are holy because Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom and learning, was raising the hill which the stupa stands on. He was supposed to leave his hair short, but he made it grow long and head lice grew. It is said that the head lice transformed into these monkeys”.
2 – Kanti Path in Thamel
An Indian Flying-fox colony can be seen from Kanti Path (a major road on the east side of Thamel). They are in large trees at a site marked on google maps as “Naraynahiti Rahdani (Passport) office” but they can be seen from the main road. My iNat post clearly shows the location.
a) Indian Flying-fox (Pteropus medius). p081.4. Seen in 2022 and 2023.
In 2022 I also checked the nearby Garden of Dreams for bats but did not see any.
3 – Budhanilkantha (suburb about 7 km northeast of Thamel;).
The following were seen at a private residence near Hotel Sabrina:
a) Northern Palm Squirrel (Funambulus pennantii). p057.1. Common (2022 and 2023). iNat post.
b) Asian House Shrew (Suncus murinus). p072.3. Seen in 2022.
c) Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx). p078.3. Seen in 2022.
C. TRIP INFORMATION
Dates visited: 2022 (Sep 29-30; Oct 1-2; 14-17, 23-26) and 2023 (Oct 19-25; Nov 8-11).
Companions: Stuart Chapman (Kathmandu, 2022) and Chi Phan (2023). Whilst in Kathmandu I stayed with Stuart Chapman; thanks to him for sharing his knowledge on the region.
See my Nepal home page for travel tips and other regional references.
D. REFERENCES
Lynx Edicions (2020 June). Lynx Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of South Asia. Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain.