Browsing by Author "Kawlni, Lallianpuii"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Assessing the Impact of Traditional Practice of Frog Consumption Amphibian Population from Mizoram India Culture -Nat
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Malsawmdawngliana; Das, Abhijit; Kawlni, Lallianpuii; Lalronunga, Samuel
Cultural practices have shaped the natural resources around the area in all parts of the world. The traditional practices involving wildlife and their meat as food resources is widely practised by many tribes of the world. Such practice also involves amphibian exploitation as food, one of the critical reasons for the decline in the global amphibian population. Such practice is widespread in the Northeast part of India, including Mizoram. However, the population-level impact of such traditional practice is poorly known. The study was carried out in the buffer and core zone of Dampa Tiger Reserve (DTR) to assess the abundance and species richness. We surveyed four villages around DTR to see how the pattern of frog consumption by the local communities. The study tried to understand how the species diversity and abundance is affected by the off-take of frogs for food in the study area. Time constrained nocturnal Visual Encounter Survey method was used to see the species composition and abundances in the study area. Random sampling using questionnaires and interactions were used to see the frogs’ consumption pattern, medicinal use and preferred species for food of the local communities in the study area.
Comparison of small carnivores detection rates between two different leopard density regimes in Kuno National Park
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2026) Namdev, Srajal; Kawlni, Lallianpuii; Kolipakam, Vishnupriya; Bipin, C.M.
The study assessed the detection patterns of small carnivores in Kuno National Park using a camera-trap survey conducted across two sampling areas, blocks representing contrasting leopard density regimes. Camera traps were deployed using a systematic 0.5 km² grid design with approximately 700 m spacing between stations to maximize detections of small carnivores while maintaining standardised sampling. A total of ten small carnivore species were targeted, and Relative Abundance Indices (RAI) were calculated to compare detection rates among species and sampling blocks. Another study design with trail cameras on the same blocks was used to investigate the small carnivore community in two blocks representing high and medium density areas to understand community composition between the two study areas, although some species differed in their relative abundance. Small Indian civet, leopard, and golden jackal were detected more frequently in the high-density block, while jungle cat was relatively more common in the medium-density block. Spatial and temporal analyses indicated that most small carnivore species shared the same habits and were active during similar periods of the day. However, some species delayed their visits after another carnivore had recently used the same location, suggesting that coexistence is maintained mainly through short-term temporal avoidance rather than by occupying different habitats. This study also evaluated the effect of camera-trap sampling scale (grid size) on Relative abundance Index (RAI) showed that common species which were detected consistently through out the camera trap with adequate sample size produced estimates with lower coefficient of variation comparative to rarely detected species which became increasingly variable as sampling scale increased. These findings highlight the importance of using finer camera-trap grids when monitoring smaller species with less movement or home ranges.
Dogs Finally have their Day? Aspects Changthang Wildlife Sanctuary Ladakh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2019) Subhashini, K.; Kawlni, Lallianpuii; Jhala, Y.V.
In a country with increasing numbers of free-ranging dogs that often times foray into wildlife habitats, even their presence has been established as a threat for biodiversity conservation in any landscape. Stated that they pose a problem, the means and extent of the problem needs an understanding of their ecology. This study aims to understand the effect of anthropogenic subsidies on the population, ranging, and subsidy resource usage patterns of free-ranging dogs. Placing subsidies in the centre of the ecology of these dogs, the study also attempts to understand inter-species interactions and potential for dogs to act as disease reservoirs in the unique trans-Himalayan landscape.