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Established in 1982, Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an internationally acclaimed Institution, which offers training program, academic courses and advisory in wildlife research and management. The Institute is actively engaged in research across the breadth of the country on biodiversity related issues.
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Tracking the nearshore and migratory movements of Olive ridley sea turtles occurring in the Coastal waters of Maharashtra
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2023) Mudliar, M.M.; Kumar, R.S.
In a first, a satellite tracking study of solitary nesting olive ridley sea turtles was taken up on the west coast of India during 2022-2023 along the Maharashtra coast. Seven olive ridley sea turtles were captured (five in 2022 and two in 2023) and were tagged with Argos satellite transmitters (model-K2G 576E) manufactured by Lotek Wireless Inc. (New Zealand). The tags were attached to the turtle's carapace using a 2-part epoxy-resin adhesive and further secured using fiberglass tape. The tags were programmed to remain on for 24 hours and a transmission limit of 577 messages per day was fixed for each tag. Five turtles tagged in 2022 were tracked for an average duration of 138
days (3 to 173 days), while the two turtles tagged in February 2023 were tracked for 212 and 213 days. rhe turtfe locations received from the tags were checked for erroneous data and filtered accordingly. Following this, a continuous-time State-Space Model (SSM) was used for track correction and modelling. For every 6-hour interval, a location from the modelled track was extracted for the separate analysis of breeding period. Further, for the analysis of the post-nesting
period, the locations were extracted for every 24-hour interval. A movement persistence model was then used to determine the behavioural state of the turtles based on changes in speed and direction of travel between subsequent time steps. This resulted in a Movement Persistence Index (MPI) for every time step that ranged between 0 and 1, where higher values indicated directed movements associated with migration and lower values indicated a slow-moving phase associated with stop-over. The high-use areas of tagged turtles during the nesting period were determined using Kernel Density Estimates (KDE). Further, the diving data obtained for each tagged turtle was summarised for dive depth and duration, and daily time spent on the surface. The diving behaviour was also compared for the turtles in the continental shelf waters and in the open ocean. During the nesting period, the tagged turtles resided in the nearshore waters for a period ranging from 22 to 41 days and, on average, remained 10 km from the coast. During this period, the high use area (50% KDE) determined for the tagged turtles ranged from 142 sq. km to 735 sq. km and fell within the 30 m depth contour. The high-use areas were primarily associated with turtle-nesting beaches adjoining river mouths in the region. Two of the tagged turtles from the 2022 season, Prathama and Saavni, were observed to nest again after 34 and 31 days, respectively, suggesting that the solitary nesting turtles lay multiple clutches in a season. The average time spent at the surface per day (time the tags remained dry) during this period was 50 minutes. This suggests that
turtles possibly spent most of their time resting underwater which was also evident from the long U-shaped dives recorded during this phase. The tagged turtles started on their post-nesting movements from late February to mid-March. In the case of three turtles, their initial movements were oriented to the North while the others iii headed South. The northernmost location of the tagged turtles came 95 km off the coast of Gujarat, where the turtle named Prathama resided for 31 days, and then began moving South. The post-nesting movements of the tagged turtles in the following months had clear directionality and were not nomadic. The tagged turtles were observed to have a median
speed of 1.1 km/h, and the speed increased from 0.6 km/h (range: 0.3-0.9 km/hr) to 1.32 km/h (range: 0.6 -1.79 km/h) when they moved from the continental shelf to open waters. The turtles were observed to have stop-overs in areas off the Gujarat coast, the Karnataka coast, the waters。仟 northeastern Sri Lanka, and the open waters of the Bay of Bengal. At the time of the last tracking location, the displacement distance of the tagged turtles was 190 - 2338
km from their nesting beach and they had travelled 1015-5267 km in 80-213 days. the turtles were observed to dive to an average depth of 15.7 ± 8.2m during the breeding phase and 61.43 ± 36 m during the post-breeding phase. During these dives, the turtles stayed underwater for an average duration of 27.2115 and 31.9 ±18 minutes in the breeding and post-breeding phase, respectively. An increase in V-shaped dives (exploration dives) was observed when turtles moved into deeper waters. The turtles performed shallower dives at night in open waters, while no such difference was observed when the turtles were on the continental shelf. A gradual increase in daily surface duration was observed during the post-breeding phase for turtles. At the same time, it was observed that the deepest dive performed in a given day gradually increased, and turtles that moved into the shelf break and open ocean habitat performed exceptionally deeper dives sometimes more than 400 meters. A general southward movement and reduction in MPI in the continental shelf break of the Karnataka coast was observed for most turtles starting from the month of May. This area falls in the well-known Malabar upwelling zone and appears to be an important foraging area for the west coast olive ridley population. Being first of its kind for west coast of India, this tracking study has been successful in creating awareness about olive ridley sea turtles through extensive media coverage on tagging and movement updates. Even with a small number of tagged turtles, it also provided crucial information on the movement and diving ecology of this lesser-studied
population. Most importantly, the patterns of movement from this study suggests that turtles nesting on the Maharashtra coast comprise two foraging populations. Firstly, those that are resident to the Arabian Sea and the others from the Sri Lankan waters or from the Bay of Bengal. Further tracking efforts are recommended where the turtles are tagged early in the nesting season to understand their inter-rookery movements and find nesting frequencies per season. More tracking efforts from Maharashtra and elsewhere along the West coast of India are suggested to be taken up. This will help understand how the turtles from different nesting areas move and forage. Moreover, this will help identify the overlap between fishing zones and critical breeding and foraging areas along the West Coast to better manage and conserve the species through appropriate interventions.
Demographic outcomes of diverse behavioural strategies assessed in resident and migratory population of black kites Milvus migrans Phase VI
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Kumar, Nishant; Jhala, Y.V.; Qureshi, Q.
The Black Kite, an opportunist, facultative scavenger in the South Asian urban ecosystems,； is a highly successful bird of prey, adapting to various habitats from natural landscapes to bustling cities (Fig.1 ).This adaptability makes them one of the most hutnerous raptors globally (Ferguson- Lees & Christie, 2001). In the Old World, these kites are resourceful and opportunistic eaters, thriving on abundant food sources from human refuse and prey species like pigeons and rats in urban areas. They readily exploit human-generated waste, allowing them to maintain a healthy population and favourable conservation status (Galushin, 1971). In Indian cities like Delhi, they reign as the top avian predators within the urban ecosystem. Studies since the 1960s suggest their breeding density has remained stable. While most raptors require specific ecological conditions, Black Kites exhibit remarkable flexibility (Kumar et al., 2020a). They primarily nest in trees, indicating a need for green spaces within the city. However, a small portion (less than 5%) utilise man-made structures for nesting (Fig. 2). The ample availability of trees in Delhi provides suitable nesting grounds (Kumar, 2013; Kumar et al., 2019). The abundance of garbage in cities - often amassing in the form of large landfills - provides kites with a readily available food source. Additionally, the positive attitude of residents in South Asia towards these birds allows them to breed undisturbed near human settlements. This human tolerance translates to moderate breeding success, with around half of breeding Fig. 1. A typical congregation of Black Kites in Old Delhi responding to ritual tossing of meat by Muslims that follow Sufi traditions (Jama Masjid area). Photo Credit: Fabrizio Sergio 2 BlacK Kite Project - Phase - VI pairs raising chicks to fledging (Kumar et al.t 2014). The high density of Black Kites in southern Asian breeding grounds offers a unique opportunity for research. Scientists can compare these populations to European Black Kites, which have been extensively studied since the 1950s. Pioneering research in the 1990s on European populations focused on factors influencing chick survival, including hatching order, sibling competition, and food availability. These studies have become benchmarks for raptor biologists (Ferguson-Lees & Christie, 2001; Newton, 1979). A crucial finding from European studies is the link between food availability and brood reduction (where some chicks die in the nest). When food is scarce, chicks compete more intensely, and some may not survive (Vinuela, 1996). Black Kites in Delhi exhibit hatching asynchrony (chicks hatching at different times) and brood reduction, likely influenced by the varying food availability across the city's diverse urban landscapes. To capture these ecological nuances, researchers have been using trail cameras in nests across different urbanisation gradients to study relationships with urban variables. These data are further combined with observations to assess hatching patterns, chick survival, growth rates, and nesting behaviour. Delhi hosts two subspecies of black kites: the resident breeding Milvus migrans govinda (small Indian kite) and the migratory M. m. lineatus (black-eared kite) that arrives from Central Asia and Southern Siberia via the Central Asian Flyway across the Himalayas. GPS-tagging revealed that M. m. lineatus kites migrate 3300-4700 km from their breeding grounds in Russia, Kazakhstan, Xinjiang (China) and Mongolia to Delhi in 3-4 weeks, crossing the Himalayas at elevations up to 5000-6000 m (Kumar et al., 2020b).
Assessment of predator, prey and habitats in Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, 2024
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Sadhu, A.; Kanswal, S.; Roy, A.; Rana, A.; Tripathi, P.; Qureshi, Q.
Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) is located in the semi-arid western Indian landscape (24°33'54”N, 73°54'22"E] and spans the Pali, Rajsamand, and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan. Camera traps support various methodologies, including capture-mark-recapture for population estimation, occupancy surveys for determining species distribution, and distance sampling to assess animal density and abundance. Camera traps have been widely used as a wildlife monitoring tool due to their objectivity, ease of use, and ability to generate data on a wide range of species. Camera trapping was conducted in Kumbhalgarh from January to March 2024, covering an area of approximately 200 km2, which included all five ranges—Kumbhalgarh, Sadri, Desuri, Jhilwada, and Bokhada. The area was divided into 2 km2 grids, and in each grid, a pair of camera traps was placed. The cameras were set up along trails and near forest roads to maximize the probability of capturing the target species. These locations were selected based on a reconnaissance survey conducted in search of large carnivore signs along gipsy tracks, animal trails, and dry stream beds.
Ecological impacts of major invasive alien plants on native flora in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Kumar, Amit; Kumar, S.; Sahu, H.; Patra, R.; Page, N.; Qureshi, Q.
This study focuses on Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, within the Shivalik hills, to investigate the invasion patterns and ecological impacts of a major invasive plant species
Suggested Measures to Mitigate Asian Elephant - Train Collisions on Vulnerable Railway Stretches in the state of Karnataka
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) PE-MoEFCC-WII