Numbers and distributions of dead animals with mite-induced
cutaneous lesions
According to the interviews and data from the fourth giant panda survey
of China, the dead animals with mite-induced cutaneous lesions included
gorals, serows, takins and wild boars. Among these, gorals and serows
were the main animals affected, and there were clear visual records (S3A
and B). Dead takins and wild boars with cutaneous lesions were observed
rarely, and there were no visual records available. Therefore, we mainly
analyzed the numbers of gorals and serows from 2012-2021. The detailed
data are shown in table 2, but only the data from the giant panda survey
had corresponding Global Positioning System (GPS) information(Zhu et
al., 2021). The mean centres of dead gorals and serows in Taibai,
Foping, Zhouzhi and Ningshan in 2012 are shown in Figure 1 (Turchetto et
al., 2014).
According to the interviews, the animals with cutaneous lesions mainly
died on the banks of rivers from November to early April, and the
unusual increase in the number of goral deaths began in 2008; therefore,
the number of goral and serow carcasses in 2012 reported in the fourth
giant panda survey should cover 2008 to 2012. Table 2 and Figure 2A show
that increased numbers of deaths due to sarcoptic mange usually
persisted for 2-3 years in the goral and serow populations. Among the
animals that died from sarcoptic mange in Taibai, Fopin, and Zhouzhi,
gorals and serows were the most common from 2012-2014. The number of
dead gorals in Huyi was the lowest, which may be related to the
distribution of animals. Goral deaths in Ningshan had two peaks in
2012-2014 and 2016-2017 (Fig. 2A). The first goral death event occurred
west of the G5 freeway, and the second goral death event occurred in the
eastern area of Ningshan, which is near the boundary of Changan
District. The peaks in deaths among gorals in Changan District and
Zhashui occurred in 2017-2020 and 2019-2020, respectively. Therefore,
sarcoptic mange was transmitted among gorals and serows in the Qinling
Mountains from west to east. Sarcoptic mange continued to be observed in
gorals and serows after the death events.
Additionally, two interviewees from Foping District said that their dogs
presented similar moderate cutaneous lesions and that these dogs were
free-roaming and often went into the mountains.