M Sc Dissertation(WII)

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Nilgiri tahr

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    Understanding the influence of tourism on behaviour and habitat use of Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius Ogilby, 1838) in Eravikulam National Park, Kerala
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Mohammed, Aslam; Chinnasamy, Ramesh; Ramesh, K.; Karunakaran, P.V.
    Eravikulam National Park is the home for the largest number of Endangered Nilgiri tahr in the world (Predit et al, 2015; Saju,2012) and the park is also having an ecotourism programme dedicated for observing tahr at closer distance (Saju,2012). This population in the tourism area have high human interaction and have become habituated to the presence of humans. Habituation is known to influence the wild behaviour and instincts of animals (Shackley,1996; Knight,2009; Mazur, 2006; Marler & Hamilton,1966; Hingham & Shelton,2011) and this study was intended to understand the influence of tourism on the behaviour and habitat use of Nilgiri tahr in the Eravikulam National Park.The field work was carried for four months from January 2024 to April 2024, of which tourism was closed during the months of February and March, creating three sampling seasons: preclosing, closing and reopening season with varying human presence. Scan sampling and focal sampling (Altman, 1974) were carried out and observations of the population in tourism area were compared to the populations in Varattukulam region of core area which have minimum human interaction. The result showed a significant difference in the behaviour and habitat use between tourism and core area and also across tourism season. The activity pattern in the tourism zone is different from that of the core. Habitat use was also different as most of the behaviour in tourism area were not showing any significant relationship with a particular habitat unlike the population in core area. The flight distance in tourism area was also found to be very much shorter (1.8m) in compared to core area(118m) which is evidence for the extend of habituation tahr has gone through. Interestingly, the tourism adjacent hills which belonged to the same landscape as that of the tourism zone showed higher flight distance. The tourism zone also had high density of predators (Tiger and leopard) and there was spatial overlap between tahr and predators. Study was not able to prove the existence of human shield hypothesis (HSH) (Berger, 2007) as large carnivores were still present in the tourism area and even when tourism was closed, which reduced the number of people on the road, tahr were still coming to tourism area. However, tahrs were observed to be avoiding the carnivore by temporal separation as all camera trapping of predators happened during night time but no tahr was active at that time in tourism road.
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    Sexual Segregation in the Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius)
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1995) Madhusudan, M.D; Johnsingh, A.J.T.
    Studied sexual segregation in the Nilgiri tahr Hemitragus hylocrius from November 1994 through April 1995 at Eravikulam National Park, Kerala, India. This Study covered the post-rut phase of the tahr's annual cycle. The objectives of the study were to examine whether sexual segregation exists in the tahr identify modes of segregation, and compare empirical findings with some theoretical hypotheses advanced to explain sexual segregation. I investigated differences in ,the way the sexes occurred in social units, used space, chose forage and budgeted time. Data on group composition and habitat selection were collected and two trails monitored regularly. Availability of forage was quantified in three habitat strata. Differences in dietary quality were estimated with two faecal indices - crude protein and ash. Data on activity budgets were collected from group scans. Throughout the study period, tahr occurred mostly in female groups, bachelor groups, and 1 to a lesser degree, in mixed groups. They showed marked segregation in the use of habitat types. Male groups used the rolling grasslands at the higher elevations intensively, whereas the female groups were distributed in rocky areas dominated by Plebophylllum kunthianum, and in areas of grass interspersed with cliffs. Male and female groups showed distinct differences in their choice of habitat. Males chose areas of high absolute amounts of graminoid forage, whereas females preferred areas of greater security; these were typically areas high slope angles and percent rockiness. - There were no differences in the levels of crude protein and ash in the pellets of male and female tahr. Differences were also found in the time-activity budgets of the sexes. Although all age sex classes spent equal proportions of time feeding, large males spent a greater proportion of their time resting than either small males or females. Females on the other hand, spent a greater proportion of their time moving than did individuals in the two male classes