Theses and Dissertations
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Item Tigers in a multi-use forest: Prey, diet and conflict(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Chauhan, Aayush; Pandav, Bivash; Habib, BilalThis study provides a comprehensive assessment of tiger prey, dietary dynamics, and human-wildlife interactions in the Ramnagar Forest Division, a critical area outside protected areas in the Western Terai Arc. Despite a notable increase in tiger numbers—from 39 adults in 2015 to 67 in 2022—density surface modeling revealed persistently low populations of key wild prey species such as chital and sambar, primarily due to habitat degradation from historical timber-focused management. Diet analysis of genetically confirmed tiger scats demonstrated a strong reliance on large-bodied prey, with sambar and livestock comprising a significant portion of tiger biomass intake, reflecting both prey scarcity and ecological stress. The detection of plastic in both sambar and tiger digestive tracts further highlights the emerging threat of environmental pollution in multi-use forests. Human-tiger conflict remains acute, with 353 livestock depredation events and 28 attacks on people recorded over recent years, concentrated near settlements where prey and livestock overlap are highest. These findings underscore the urgent need for integrated conservation strategies that prioritize habitat restoration—such as grassland recovery—community-based conflict mitigation, improved waste management, and a shift in forest policy from timber production to biodiversity and coexistence. Only through such landscape-level, participatory approaches can the long-term viability of tigers and their prey be secured in shared, human-dominated areas like Ramnagar.Item Occupancy and abundance of tigers and their prey in Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Karki, Jhamak Badur; Jhala, Y.V.; Pandav, BivashThe occupancy, distribution and tiger density are important information for management and conservation policy formulation. Realizing this need, this study was undertaken. The major wild prey species of tiger are spotted deer (Axis axis), wild pig (Sus scrofa), sambar (Rucervus unicolor), swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelli duvaucelli), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak), hog deer (Heylaphus porcinus) and gaur (Bos gaurus) in Nepal. To evaluate the occupancy of tiger in Nepal's Terai Arc landscape (TAL), sign survey was conducted in 96 grids (area 225 Km2 ) in 14 districts, including PAs. To assess correlation of the tiger occupancy with the availability of wild prey, and the human disturbance with the habitat use by the tiger, the sign of human disturbances (fire, timber cut, fuel wood collection, sign of poaching) and prey presence were recorded during the winter season. To estimate the density of tigers wild prey in PAs of Nepal's TAL, distance sampling was conducted along the predefined line transects during the summer seasonItem Understanding aspects of demography and resource partitioning mechanisms of large felids among with abundance and spatial distribution of prey in Similipal Tiger Reserve, Odisha(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2024) Rathore, Harshvardhan Singh; Pandav, Bivash; Jhala, Y.V.This study investigates the crucial aspect of coexistence for large predators like tigers and leopards sharing the same landscape and delves into the population dynamics of these animals by identifying the mechanisms of resource partitioning. By acting as a window into the inner workings of the ecosystem, the study reveals how tiger and leopard populations function alongside each other. Identifying the factors that influence their ability to share the resources successfully is vital for developing more effective conservation strategies. This knowledge ultimately contributes to ensuring the long-term survival of both tigers and leopards in this landscape. A precise assessment of several demographic parameters is necessary to make informed management decisions for their conservation within this unique habitat. These parameters include population density, sex structure, recruitment, and survival rates. With this background, the study comes with the following objectives. (1) To assess the abundance and spatial distribution of prey in STR.(2) To assess the various demographic parameters of large felids (tiger and leopard) in STR. (3) To determine the mechanisms of resource partitioning of the tiger and the leopard in STR. Similipal Tiger Reserve is located in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, between86˚06' and 86˚36' East longitude and 21˚31' and 22˚02' North latitude. The study was carried out over three years (2019–2021) across eight ranges in the core area of STR: Chahala, Nawana North, Nawana South, and Pithabata South Wildlife in the northern core, and UBK, Jenabil, Bhanjabasa, and National Park in the southern core.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.