Browsing by Author "Pandav, Bivash"

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A quantitative analysis of incidental capture of seaturtles and mortalities during commmercial shrimp trawling along the coastal waters of Orissa
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2002) Gopi, G.V.; Pandav, Bivash; Choudhury, B.C.
This study aimed to assess the efficiency of TED in reducing the mortality rate of sea turtles, with a view to lobby for the introduction and promotion of this approach in trawl nets in India. The aim was also to provide a realistic cost benefit analysis in terms of the economic loss to the fishing agencies on using the TED.
Abundance and social organization of male Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in Rajaji Tiger Reserve
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Madhusudanan, Abhimanyu; Pandav, Bivash; Lakshminarayan, N.; Mondol, Samrat
1. Asian Elephants are complex, social, and polygynous mammals living in fission-fusion societies. Male elephants are known to alternate between leading solitary lives, in all-male groups or associating with mixed-sex herds. All-male groups allow younger males to learn from older males, test strengths and spar with their peers. While much work has been done on female Asian elephant societies, studies focused on male association patterns are limited, but gaining importance in the light of human-elephant conflicts. In this study, I estimated the abundance of adult male elephants in a stretch of forest spanning over 40 km along the east bank of the river Ganga in Uttarakhand using a polygon search-based spatially explicit capture recapture (SECR) framework 2. I invested a survey effort of ~3014 km to estimate the abundance of the adult male segment of the population using a capture-recapture framework. Using a combination of morphological features, I identified 34 adult males from 124 elephant sightings. Association patterns of the male elephants, following behavioural sampling approaches were also recorded during the surveys. 3. Adult male elephant density was 0.05 (SE=0.01)/km2, and a derived abundance of 40 (SE=1.4) for the 475 km2 study area. This demonstrates that polygon search-based SECR is an effective approach in estimating elephant abundance.
Age Estimation of a Breeding Population of Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) Along the Odisha Coast, Eastern India: Using skeletochronology
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2013) Baburam, Anupya D.; Pandav, Bivash; Kumar, R.S.
A migratory population of olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) forms huge reproductive congregations in the coastal waters of Odisha every winter. This breeding population of olive ridley has been subjected to heavy fisheries related mortality for the past two and half decades. Although a number of studies have been carried out on olive ridleys congregating and nesting along the Odisha coast, the impact of such large scale mortality on the demography of this breeding population has been least understood. The effect of this continued mortality on the age class of olive ridleys nesting along Odisha coast is not known. In order to understand the age class of this breeding population I carried out this study from December 2012 till May 2013. I used skeletochronological analysis to estimate the age class of this breeding olive ridley sea turtle population. Although this technique has been applied for marine turtles mostly in North Pacific, Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coast of United States of America, no studies of this kind have been carried out on sea turtles of Eastern Pacific as well as Indian Ocean region. This study provides the information needed to bridge this gap and establish baseline for future skeletochronological studies on the breeding population of olive ridley. Humeral samples from 85 dead turtles (29 males and 56 females) washed ashore the Odisha coast was collected for skeletochronological studies. Cross sections were taken from the mid-diaphysis, just distal to the deltopectoral crest and beneath the insertion scar on the humerus were taken using first a Dremel 4000 round saw, then a freezing stage microtome. These sections were processed according to standardized histological techniques; growth rings on the stained humeral cross sections were counted to estimate age of dead turtles. Two age estimation protocols were used; the correction factor protocol and the ranking protocol; which yielded age estimates of 19.9 - 51.8 and 24 – 49 years respectively; for a size class of 56 - 74 cm (SCL). No correlation between size class and age was obtained from this analysis. This relationship was not established because the samples collected were from an adult breeding population, whereas, in the previous studies, sample collection represented individuals that greatly varied in size (hatchlings to adult). This study suggests that adult breeding population size class has no correlation with age; however, age can be correlated with size class of a younger population. This breeding population is sustaining a wide age group even though mortality rates are high in this area
AN atural History Account of the Tricarinate Hill-Turtle Melanochelys tricarinata in the Doon Valley, Northern India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Kumar, R. Suresh; Harihar, Abhishek; Pandav, Bivash
An Ecological assessment of Baan Ganga wetland, Uttaranchal
(Uttaranchal Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India, 2006) Rawat, G.S.; Pandav, Bivash; Mathur, V.B.; Sankar, K.; Hussain, S.A.; Adhikari, B.S.; Sinha, B.C.; Pandav, Bivash; Sivakumar, K.; Padalia, H.; Chaturvedi, R.K.; Babu, M.M.
An Ecological Survey of Baan Ganga Wetlands in Haridwar Forest Division, Uttaranchal was conducted during January to November 2006 by a team of faculty and researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Dehra Dun. The study components include rapid assessment of the flora, fauna (mammals, birds and fishes), water and soil quality of the area, mapping of the conservation reserve and designing of interpretive facility for the wetland. 2. Baan Ganga wetland represents a remnant Terai habitat in Uttranchal. Occurrence of endangered swamp deer and a variety of floral and faunal communities typical of Terai habitat amidst human dominated landscape warrants careful co-management approach. A total of 178 plant species were recorded from the Baan Ganga wetlands. Of these, 40 species were hydrophytic, 122 species semi-aquatic and 117 mesophytic. Detailed list of the flora along with their habitat and photographic records have been provided. 3. The survey area faces heavy anthropogenic pressures including heavy livestock grazing, fishing, pollution from the untreated sugar mill effluents, cutting and burning of natural vegetation and agricultural encroachment. Despite several pressures the area continues to attract a variety of wetland birds and has tremendous opportunity for developing a popular eco-tourist destination and thereby creating new opportunities in education, recreation, eco-tourism and research in the area. 4. Based on the rapid ecological surveys on various aspects, following major recommendations are given for the conservation and management of the Baan Ganga area: (i) Maintenance of stream flow all through the year (ii) Traditional fishing as in practice at preset may be continued (iii) Initiate a project to promote aquaculture (iv) Initiate conservation awareness programme for the local people especially about the adverse impact of pesticide use in the agriculture fields around the Baan Ganga. There should be a check on the release of effluents from the industries which are located on the upstream areas. Effluents must be treated before releasing into the natural system (v) Maintain heterogeneity in vegetation types. Aquatic weeds are required to be managed properly in year-wise plan. There should not be any construction along the banks of river which will change the hydrological system hence there will be change in the vegetation types. Cattle grazing needs to be regulated and a proper rotational grazing system needs to be implemented in consultation with the local communities (vi) Control of water hyacinth by utilizing this species as a compost / green manure (vii) Regulate exploitation of Phragmites and Typha and (viii) Develop an interpretation centre highlighting the biological and conservation significance of this area for development of eco-tourism.
Assessing Prevalence of Parasitic Diseases at Swamp Deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) Livestock Interface at Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Talukdar, Animesh; Nigam, Parag; Pandav, Bivash
The interaction between wildlife, livestock and other domesticated animals is existent since the domestication of species. This has seen an increase in recent past owing to increased anthropogenic dependence on natural habitats. The domesticated animals, maintained at high population densities, have the potential to act as reservoirs of disease for wild animals. Parasitic infection both micro and macro; in wildlife at the wildlife - livestock interface, can affect conservation efforts by "spillover" and "spillback". Combined with other stressors, disease in wildlife can impact reproduction, survival and fitness, thereby affecting abundance and diversity of wildlife populations. Especially vulnerable are species with limited abundance and range. Macro-parasites especially the helminths, flukes and various ectoparasites have life cycles characterized by distinct life stages and are opportunistic In nature and can infect a large number of host species. The present study focuses on interactions between Swamp deer and livestock at two sites namely the jhilmil Jheel (JJ) in the Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Area, Haridwar Forest Division and and Jadi Tal (JT) in the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary. Swamp deer is a vulnerable, flagship deer species from the Indian subcontinent, with distribution restricted to isolated localities in north and central India and parts of southwestern Nepal (Qureshi et al. 2004). Therefore any factor exacerbating threats for population decline of the species need careful evaluation. This work is a first structured parasitic prevalence study at Swamp deer - livestock interface, from two of the eight prime locations (Jhilmil Jheel Conservation reserve and Kishanpur Forest Division) reported for the northern population of swamp deer in India. The study included an estimation of population size of swamp deer and livestock and their space use patterns. Coprological examination of both swamp deer pellets and livestock dung was used to assess the prevalence and load of gastro-intestinal parasites. The result revealed that population of Swamp Deer was 153 and 435 ; while livestock counts were 84 and 35 respectively for Jhilmil Jheel and Jadi Tal during the stud) period. At Jhilmil Jheel a significant spatial overlap was observed between the two groups was observed at Jadi Tal. The overall prevalence of parasitic ova in the dung sample of swamp deer and livestock population was higher at JJ as compared to JT (Swamp deer 15.38% and 12.69% and Livestock 95.4% aand 60% respectively). The parasitic ova reported from both the sites included Strongyles, Trichostrongyle (direct life cycle), Amphistomes; Fasciola; and Moniezia (mediated through intermediate host).Difference was observed for the parasite species richness and prevalence between swamp deer and livestock at Jhilmil Jheel and Jadi Tal. Parasitic ova with simple life cycle dominated over the parasites, with intermediate hosts at Jhilmil Jheel. Analysis of parasitic load based on Mc Master's technique (Soulsby , 1982) revealed significantly higher load of parasitic ova at Jhilniil Jheel in swamp deer as compared to Jhadi Tal
Assessing the distribution and density of the Fishing Cat in Bhitarkanika mangroves of eastern India by
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Ashik, C.S.; Mukherjee, Shomita; Gopi, G.V.; Pandav, Bivash
Identifying the areas of occurrence, population, and the factors affecting the species distribution is critical in conservation and management. The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), a smaller feline native to South and Southeast Asia, is globally vulnerable and adapted to wetland habitats, with a diet primarily consisting of fish. This makes Bhitarkanika, a mangrove ecosystem, an ideal habitat for the Fishing Cat. This study was conducted to estimate the species density, determine the factors affecting its distribution, and assess the effect of lunar illumination and tidal fluctuation on Fishing Cat activity. Despite known occurrences of Fishing Cats in this area, there has been no proper assessment of their population or other ecological studies. Camera traps were deployed in 109 grids, each covering 1km², across a total of 145 km², for 2878 trap nights. Camera trap locations are unbaited, with two cameras used to capture both flanks. Spatially explicit capture-recapture (SECR) was used to estimate the density, resulting in 0.6 ± 0.1 individuals per km². The abundance was also calculated, with an estimate of 99 ± 16 individuals. These density estimates from this study are close to recent high-density estimates for the species. The canopy cover, the width of the creek, canopy cover and the distance to the aquaculture farms significantly influenced the Fishing Cat habitat use, indicating the need for the conservation of natural mangrove habitats and regulation of aquafarms present near the forest. In contrast, the presence of Saltwater Crocodile showed a negative effect on the distribution of Fishing Cats. The Fishing Cats were more active during the brighter nights of the moon phase (μ= 266.783, r= 0.051, p< 0.01) due to better visual detection. The activity was influenced both by the tidal fluctuations in terms of food resources from waterbodies and it is further enhanced by the lunar illumination during the night. Pairwise non-parametric tests showed that the probability distributions of Fishing Cat activity under lunar illumination and tide fluctuation (D= 0.125, p-value = 0.9885 and D= 0.125, p-value= 0.9899) were similar, indicating minimal differences between each probability distribution. This study underscores the importance of protecting the mangrove habitat and controlling aquaculture expansion to ensure Fishing Cat survival in the Bhitarkanika National Park.
Assessment of grassland communities its use by mammals and mapping the potential habitat of Rhinoceros unicornis in Valmiki Tiger Reserve, Bihar
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Murari, Krishna; Talukdar, Gautam; Pandav, Bivash; Jhala, Y.V.
This study was conducted to identify grassland vegetation communities associated mammals and to find out the potential habitat of Rhinoceros unicornis in VTR.
Assessment of Swamp Deer Habitat in Pilibhit Habitat Block Uttar Pradesh
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Singh, Lovepreet; Mondol, Samrat; Pandav, Bivash
The study was carried out in terai region of Uttar Pradesh covering the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and those areas of North Kheri Forest Division (NKFD) which fall between Pilibhit TR and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary
Autumn Newsletter
(Wildlife Institute of India, 2024-12-01) Pandav, Bivash; Kolipakam, Vishnupriya
Cynodon dactylon(1) Pers.: a Pinch Period Fodder Resource for Wild Ungulates and Nesting Habitat for Certain Ground-nesting Birds
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Nair, Manoj V.; Pandav, Bivash
Determinants of occurrence of snow leopard and its prey species in the Indian Greater and Trans Himalaya.
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Ghoshal, Abhishek; Pandav, Bivash; Bhatanagar, Yash veer
Understanding patterns of species occurrences and how their distribution and abundance are affected by abiotic and biotic factors have been a major theme of ecological research. The range and changes in the distribution of a species are important parameters to assess conservation status. Robust assessment of factors affecting species distribution and abundance contribute to the identification of conservation issues, appropriate scale(s) for species conservation and key stakeholders. This study is attempted to understand how distribution and abundance of a large-ranging and difficult-to-sample carnivore and its primary wild-prey species are affected by topographic, vegetation and land-use variables, at wide and fine spatial scales. Study is focused on the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), the elusive, rare and endangered apex predator of the Central and South Asian mountain systems, and its main prey, blue sheep or bharal (Pseudois nayaur) and Asiatic ibex (Capra sibirica) for the work. I have utilized tools from quantitative ecology and social sciences through the thesis.
Diurnal and Seasonal Activity Pattern of Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) in Bhitakanika Wildlife Sanctuary, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1993) Pandav, Bivash; Choudhury, B.C.
This study investigated the diurnal and seasonal activity pattern of water monitor, Varanus salvator in Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, India. The study was conducted in an intensive study area of 17 sq.km selected after a pre sampling survey in the Sanctuary. The methodology involved to record the activity pattern of water monitor was monitoring of two permanent standard paths every three hours on diurnal basis. Sightings of water monitors were recorded while walking on the standard path. Behaviour of water monitor was divided into four categories such as basking, foraging, resting and non-foraging. Microhabitat of water monitor was recorded on each sighting. Ambient and substrate temperatures and ambient relative humidity were recorded along with diurnal activity pattern of water monitors. Results show a shift in diurnal activity pattern with season. The activity pattern of water monitor was unimodal in winter and uniform in summer. Basking was the major activity of water monitor in winter, whereas all the activities were evenly spread out in summer.The lizards used different microhabitats for different activities. Maximum lizards were recorded active at cooler substrate temperatures (29°C). The relation of ambient and substrate temperatures with activity was curvilinear. At low ambient temperature basking was prevalent. With increase in temperature other activities, such as foraging and resting were recorded. At high ambient temperature lizards selected cooler substrates. Ambient temperature and ambient relative humidity varied inversely. The activity was low at high levels of humidity It is concluded that behavioural thermoregulation plays a major role in water monitor’s activity.
Ecological and Conservation Interferences fron monitoring a Mixed-species Waterbird breeding Colony in Bhirtarkanika Conservation area , India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2014) Gopi, G.V.; Pandav, Bivash
Ecological Assessment of Siswan Reserve, Punjab
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2017) Bhardwaj, A.K.; Srivastav, A.; Pandav, Bivash; Singh, Pratap; Adhikari, B.S.; Uniyal, V.P.; Badola, R.; Das, A.
This study was undertaken with the following objectives: (i) Generate floral and faunal baseline information. (ii) Understand mutual linkages and issues, between local communities and the reserve (iii) Sensitize the local staff about ecological importance of this area and its attributes rapid surveys were carried out by a team of WII faculty and researchers for various taxa from October 2016 to June 2017. Surveys were carried out for generating information about large mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and vegetation. To assess peoples perspective concerning the reserve participatory methods of focused group discussions (FGDs), social and resource mapping and time line surveys were undertaken. Visits for various rapid assessments were made more productive by conducting capacity building exercises for department staff simultaneously
Ecology and ranging behaviour of Elephants, Elephas maximus, and its implications for managing human-elephant conflict in Chhattisgarh, India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2022) Lakshminarayanan, N.; Pandav, Bivash
In the East-central region of India that supports the smallest regional elephant (Elephas maximus) population, the elephant ranges have expanded in northern Chhattisgarh (erstwhile eastern Madhya Pradesh) since late 1980s. Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh during the year 2000, and thence, the State has been witnessing elephant range expansion and concomitant population growth resulting in acute human–elephant conflict. Over 60 human lives are lost every year due to human–elephant conflict, and the trend is only increasing. Chhattisgarh scenario represents challenges facing management of elephant populations undergoing environmental dispersals that typically result from saturated habitat conditions in the elephant home ranges. In response to the prevailing conflict situation, the study aimed to understand facets of elephant ecology and aspects of human–elephant conflict to generate management perspectives. Historic information available as fragments in literature indicates that elephant distribution in the whole of East-central region was marked by both range expansions and local extinctions during the last one century. In particular, the contemporary phenomenon of elephant range redistribution in the East-central region peaked after 1980s, and coincides with large-scale human-induced disturbances to the formerly intact elephant habitats in the region. There were also pull factors like creation of pseudo-habitats (providing only cover for elephants) through forestry operations that possibly attracted elephants to human–dominated areas perpetuating human-elephant conflict. In Chhattisgarh, the elephant distribution during the period 2012 to 2017 was reported from 16 Forest Divisions and four Protected Areas in the north and north-central regions of the state. The elephant population, as enumerated by Chhattisgarh Forest Department during 2021, ranged from 250 to 300.
Estimating sea snake diversity using trawler bycatch along the coast of Goa
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2003) Lobo, Aaron Savio; Vasudevan, K.; Pandav, Bivash
The sea snake community off the coast of Goa was studied using trawler bycatch. To obtain a fair idea of species richness .other fishing crafts such as shore seines and sluice nets were visited at regular intervals to check for snakes that were opportunistically caught in them. Catch per unit effort was calculated to compute the sea, snake abundance. Food habits of sea snakes were studied using a gut content analysis, where in the fish families commonly fed on by sea snakes were recorded. An attempt was made to understand the causes of mortalities in sea snakes. This was done relating the magnitude which was the number of dead sea snakes and intensity which was the proportion of dead sea snakes with the duration of the trawl, weight of the catch and mean depth in meters. Sea snakes were measured for several parameters and length-weight relationships were computed. A total of six species were encountered of which four were caught through systematic sampling using trawlers while the remaining two. were obtained through opportunistic searches using shore seines and sluice nets. The total catch per unit effort calculated for the entire study was 1.28 x 10-5 sea snakes per net/hr and the catch per unit efforts calculated for the individual bases varied significantly. The sea snake diversity was seen to be the highest for Vasco followed by Malim, Chapora and Betul. A cluster analysis with complete linkage showing similarities across the four different fishing bases showed that Vasco is most similar with Malim and Betul with Chapora. The composition of sea snake species varied with depth The proportion of Lapemis curtus increased and Enhydrina schistosa decreased with an increase in depth. The proportion of male and female snakes per trawl were similar in all three depths for L.curtus. In E.schistosa, however males did not occur in depths greater than 15 m. In L.curtus most individuals contained food in the stomach. The species was found to feed on five fish families of which families Clupeidae and Cynoglossidae dominated~ The consumption of clupeids decreased with increase in the length of the snake. Consumption of prey families varied slightly with the time of the day and this was mainly with the change in the proportion of Cynoglossids consumed.The mortality of sea snakes was found to be strongly related with the number of individuals caught. The magnitude and intensity of mortality were found to increase with the duration of the trawl, weight of the catch and mean depth. Mortalities of sea snakes varied with species, L.curtus having a larger proportion of dead than live individuals and E.schistosa having a larger proportion of live as compared to dead individuals, thus showing that L.curtus is more susceptible to mortalities- due to trawling as 'compared to E.schistOS8. Betul recorded the highest mortalities and the mortality of sea snakes was found to be significantly influenced by the time of the day and season. Bruises were found to vary significantly in live and dead sea snakes and were higher in dead snakes. Morphometric studies in L.curtus and E.schistosa found that snout vent length bore a strong relationship with the weight and tail length. No sexual dimorphism in terms of size was recorded in both the species which was similar to previous studies in the case of L.curtus.
Habitat Utilisation of Asian Water Monitor (Varanus salvator) in and Around Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Rayen, W. Michael Isaac V.; Pandav, Bivash; Das, Abhijit
The water monitor lizard Varanus salvator is the largest of all lizards in India, and its distribution is restricted to certain pockets of the northeast, eastern coast and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite being the largest lizard, only limited studies have been done on this species, especially on the movement pattern and home range. This study focuses on the space use pattern of Varanus salvator in the mangrove habitats of Bhitarkanika National Park, Odisha. In total, five individuals were radio-tagged with VHF transmitters in the form of a backpack. All the tagged individuals were located twice in a day, and the location(coordinates), activity and other habitat variables were recorded. The data collected were analysed for their movement pattern, activity range and overlap between individuals and the human-dominated landscape was estimated using KDE. Along with the space use environmental variables (Ambient temperature, Relative humidity, vegetation species, canopy openness, etc) were analysed individually with behaviour to the relation between them using Fisher’s test. The results from this study add more information about its activity range, movement pattern and behavioural aspects in the mangrove landscape of India, which can be useful in the rescue, rehabilitation and management of the species.
Impact of artificial illumination on sea finding behaviour of olive ridley sea turtle at Gahirmatha Rookery, Odisha. Report submitted to the Directorate of lighthouses and lightships
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Pandav, Bivash; Kumar, R.S.
This study has the following objectives: I. To study the impact of artificial illumination on nesting sea turtles using the Gahirmatha rookery. II. To assess the level of disorientation by turtle hatchlings and suggest measures to minimize this.
Landscape level modeling of Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) habitat, Its population and interaction with humans in Nepal
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Ram, Ashok Kumar; Pandav, Bivash; Mondon, Samrat; Subedi, Naresh; Ram, Babu
The nature and extent of human-elephant conflicts studied in Chitwan National Park and Parsa National Park complex (CNP & PNP) and its buffer zone in Nepal shows that crop damage and human casualties were more serious conflict issues among the other concerns of human–elephant conflict.