Theses and Dissertations
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Item Status and spatio-temporal ranging behavior of leopard (Panthera pardus) in Dachigam National Park, Srinagar, J&K.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Noor, Athar; Habib, Bilal; Gopi, G.V.This study was initiated by Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun with support funding from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, in December 2010 to December 2013 to estimate leopard population and prey abundance, to study the leopard feeding habits and to determine the ranging behavior of leopards in Dachigam National Park. This thesis is an outcome of the main study and has three main objectives. The first objective being to determine the population status of leopards; second is to study the ranging behaviour and habitat use by leopards and lastly to model habitat suitability for leopards in Dachigam National Park. This study also provides basic information about co-occurrence of mammalian species in the community of the moist temperate forest of the Kashmir Himalaya, IndiaItem Movement and space use pattern of Tigers in the Eastern Vidarbha landscape, Maharashtra, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Hussain, Zehidul; Habib, BilalMovement is a crucial ecological process that influences the survival, population dynamics, and evolution of animals. Animal movement patterns are diverse and are influenced by life stages, sex, age, and habitat requirements. The relationship between animal movement and conservation is complex, particularly due to human-induced environmental changes This study emphasises that various factors influence animal movement, including individual characteristics and external factors such as resource availability, distribution, competition, and predation. Animals adjust their space use based on seasonal changes in resource availability. Additionally, movement patterns and space use can be influenced by habitat disruption, forcing individuals to displace and establish new home ranges. Landscape features play a significant role in animal home ranges, with resource distribution determining the extent of the required area. Fragmentation of habitats and human activities can affect landscape connectivity, leading to isolation, reduced gene flow, and potential genetic bottlenecks or local extinctions. Thus, maintaining habitat connectivity is crucial for long-term survival of highly mobile species. The study highlights the need for comprehensive datasets and technological advancements, such as GPS tracking, to study animal movement and behaviour. It also emphasises the importance of studying dispersal patterns, as dispersed individuals often encounter humandominated landscapes and face increased vulnerability to anthropogenic effects. This study focused on quantifying movement patterns and space use across three life stages: predispersal, dispersal, and post-dispersal phases. The results revealed differences in space use within and outside protected areas, with individuals outside protected areas requiring larger territories. The study also identified seasonal variations in space use and movement patterns, with dispersed tigers exhibiting the highest space use. Land-use composition, landscape configuration, and anthropogenic disturbances influence the use of tiger space. These findings provide insights into the factors influencing tiger movement and space use in a human-dominated landscape. They highlighted the importance of maintaining habitat connectivity, reducing anthropogenic disturbances, and restoring suitable habitats outside protected areas to facilitate dispersal and ensure the long-term survival of tigers.Item Response of Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) in Varying Density of Tiger (Panthera tigris) in Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Rathore, Harshvardhan Singh; Pandav, Bivash; Habib, BilalApex predators hold a special position in ecosystems due to their well known top down effects. Intra-guild competition is an integral process that affects population dynamics of large carnivores and may cause trophic cascades. In India tiger and leopard are two large sympatric felids undergoing intra-guild competition. The two co-exist by segregating in their spatial, temporal and dietary niche. Rajaji National Park (RNP) provides an ideal condition to study interaction amongst large predators. Following human settlements relocation in the past decade, the tiger . population has recovered in eastern RNP whereas due to lack of connectivity it has declined in western RNP. Thus, RNP provides a perfect ecological setup to study responses of leopard and prey in varying tiger density gradient. I assessed prey abundance in RNP using line transect based distance sampling using software Distance 6.2. Leopard and tiger density- were also estimated by using camera trap pictures on a capture- mark recapture framework using spatially explicit capture- recapture models. Spatial separation was seen between the two carnivores by using density surface models. Principal prey, prey selection and their dietary overlap was also assessed. High abundance of major prey was seen with the density of chital ranging from 23.61±9.21 Isq.km in eastern RNP to 21.77±4.32/sq.km in western RNP and sambar ranging from 10.61±3.21/sq.km in eastern RNP to 15.65±2.52/sq.km in western RNP. The density estimates of leopard were 29.01± 4.00/100 ~q.km and 25.37 ± 2.63/100 sq.km for the eastern and western sector respectively. The density estimates of tiger were 3.03±0.95/100 sq.km and 0.28±0.23/100 sq.km (only two tiger) for the eastern and western sector respectively. Leopard diet was primarily composed of chital in eastern RNP, in the western sector it was dominated by sambar. Chital was the principal prey species of tiger in RNP. Spatial separation was seen between tiger and leopard in both the sectors of the park with leopards clearly avoiding the high intensity usage areas of tigers. This study has created baseline data for predator and prey in RNP and would be helpful in managing the park better and for future monitoring.Item A Whistle Amongst Growls : Dholes in a Multi Predator System in Dry Deciduous Forests of India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Ghaskadbi, Pallavi; Habib, Bilal; Qureshi, QamarA significant amount of research has proved that there is a positive correlation between habitat heterogeneity/diversity and animal 'species diversity owing to the availability of more exploitable niches (Tews et al. 2004). On a spatial scale for free ranging large carnivores, a place like the Tadoba- Andhari Tiger Reserve has a low habitat heterogeneity, however, it shows a variety of species of both predators and prey in a small area. Studying the prey- predator interactions in such a system would lead to a better insight into large carnivore ecology. In contrast with the African Wild dog which enjoys much more attention of researchers and biologists, the Dhole has clearly not been a favourite. Being a social carnivore, there is a complex and dynamic fission and fusion of packs amongst Dholes. However, there is a grave lack of information on the pack dynamics of the Dhole. I attempted to conduct experiments to study one of the fundamental factors of social behaviour which is individual recognition.