Theses and Dissertations

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://192.168.202.180:4000/handle/123456789/1

Browse

Author: search.filters.author.Sankar, K.End date: 2019

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 22
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Evaluating methods to monitor tiger abundance and its prey in Indian Sunderbans
    (wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2019) Roy, Manjari; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    This study conducted to test and evaluate different methods for estimating tiger and its prey population in Sundarban that can be adopted as part of a monitoring programme. For this study techniques were applied for the standard spatially explicit capture-recapture, tailored according to the local conditions to estimate tiger density in Sundarban for three years. Tiger densities were estimated at 4.08 (SE 1.51) in 2010, 5.81 (SE 1.24) in 2012 and 3.15 (SE 0.88) tigers/100 km2 in 2014. The tiger abundance for my camera trapped study area generated through conventional mark-recapture was 11 (SE 2), 24 (SE 3) and 16 (SE 3) tigers for 2010, 2012, 2014 respectively. Ungulates occupy a primary position in the diet of tigers and a monitoring protocol for tiger should inherently include a component of prey base estimation. Boat transect based distance sampling to generate density estimates for four years.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Ecology of striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2019) Mandal, Dibyendu K.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    This study was conceivedto fill gaps in our understanding of striped hyena population parameters, resource utilization and their sociality. Finally, the findings were synthesized to understand the processes shaping diverse sociality of striped hyenas across varying resources in a comparative context under the framework of RDH. The present study was undertaken in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), a protected area situated in the semi-arid region of North-Western India. STR is an isolated system which has a sharp boundary with human habitations.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Human-tiger conflict, ranging pattern and habitat use by tiger in Sundarban Tiger Reserve, India
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Naha, Dipanjan; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    The Sundarban tiger inhabits a unique mangrove habitat type, isolated from neighboring tiger populations by hundreds of kilometers of agricultural and urban land. The main objectives of the present study were to (a) understand ranging pattern and habitat use of tiger (b) to quantify livestock losses by tiger predation and identify spatio-temporal patterns in conflict in and around the Tiger Reserve (c) to document and quantify the geographic distribution of tiger-human incidents and (d) to evaluate the perception and level of tolerance of people living in the vicinity of Tiger Reserve. This study showed that tiger home range range sizes are much larger than reported from Bangladesh Sundarban. The Sundarban Tiger Population is of global importance for the conservation of the species due to the size of the contiguous nature of the habitat and the unique adaptations of the tigers that inhabit these mangrove forests. In spite of only four tigers that could be radio-collared and monitored this study enhances our understanding aspects of tiger ecology in this unique landscape. Sundarban tigers are primarily diurnal, prefer certain habitat types and are reluctant to cross wide expanse of water. This information can be used to minimize human-tiger conflict which is a major impediment to tiger conservation in this region.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Behavioural patterns and food habits of re-introduced gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Manjrekar, Manas P.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    The present study was designed to study the behavioural patterns and food habits of the reintroduced gaur population in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The study was carried out from March 2012 to February 2014. For the collection of data on the behavioural patterns of gaur the scan sampling technique was used and 13 distinct activities of gaur were identified viz. feeding, moving, resting, standing, autogrooming, allogrooming, sexual behaviour, aggressive behaviour, drinking, salt licking, vocalising, defecating/urinating and alert behaviour. In the present study the social interactions among the members of a gaur herd were classified as allogrooming, dominance-subordination interactions and sexual behaviour. Four types of dominance-subordination interactions were recorded among gaur during the study period in Bandhavgarh.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores: tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus) and dhole (Cuon alpinus) in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu.
    (2010) Ramesh, T.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    A detailed long-term study on prey selection, food habits and population status of three sympatric large carnivores (tiger, leopard and dhole) was documented during the present study. To supplement the current basic information, the present study was conducted in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu from January 2008 to April 2010. The objectives of the study include estimating density, group size and composition of prey species of sympatric carnivores, to study the food habits and prey selectivity of sympatric carnivores and to estimate the population of the sympatric carnivores. Prey selection and food habits of large carnivores were studied using two methods i.e by evaluating kills and analyzing scat. Data on population estimation of dhole was collected between January 2008 and December 2009. Five vehicle transect routes ranging from 15 to 23 km were monitored to record dhole sightings. Camera-trap and vehicle transect studies have showed that high densities of large carnivores in the study area of the Tiger Reserve.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Ecology of medium and small sized carnivores in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Gupta, Shilpi; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    To assess wildlife population trends, scientifically based monitoring programs must be carried out. A new generation of camera traps and the use of well developed capture-recapture models have led to an increase in the use of remote surveying and monitoring methodologies for nocturnal species. Population estimates can be done for individually identifiable cryptic nocturnal species through camera trap. The study was carried out in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), western Rajasthan, India, (79° 17’ to 76°34’N, 27° 5’ to 27° 33’ E) from November 2007 to June 2009. The objectives of study are (1) To estimate the abundance of medium and small sized carnivores such as striped hyena, jackal, jungle cat, civets and mongoose. (2) To study the prey availability and food habits of medium and small sized carnivores and To assess the habitat suitability for these carnivores. In this study, both capture - recapture method and Royle -Nichols (2003) approach was applied to photographic capture trap data to estimate density and abundance of nocturnal cryptic species. The results of this study presented both numerically and also in the form of habitat suitability maps for all the study species in the study area. These finding have potential to develop basis for managing areas for these medium and small sized carnivores in Sariska and other similar habitat in semi arid zone.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Ecology and management of savanna vegetation in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Bhatt, Priyanka; Rawat, G.S.; Sankar, K.
    This study is aimed to document the role of various abiotic and biotic factors playing a vital role in the coexistence of trees and grasses. Attempts have been made to bridge the research gaps related to the structure and composition of forest vegetation, phenology diversity and regeneration patterns along the landscape. Hence, present study was initiated with a view to collect baseline data that would be helpful in monitoring the forest changes in future. It provides information about the savanna vegetation and the dynamics and also deals with the vegetation composition, species diversity, richness and other phyto- sociological parameters, Vegeation structure, composition and factors affecting the savanna vegetation in Sariska Tiger Reserve. Objectives are : 1. To study the phenology of savanna species 2. To study the aut-ecology of dominant savanna grasses and tree species of Sariska with reference to biotic and abiotic factors 3. To study the impact of invasive species and management implications: case study of Adhatoda vasica
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Ranging patterns and habitat use of re-introduced gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2014) Navneethan, B.; Qureshi, Qamar; Sankar, K.
    Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), situated in Central India, supported a small population of gaur (38. individuals) till 1995. This gaur population became locally extinct in 1998, and the reason for the same is attributed to disruption of the migratory corridor between the forests of Bandhavgarh and Ghunghuti and Amarkantak. Even after the local extinction of gaur, BTR continued to be an excellent habitat for gaur and hence it was decided to reintroduce gaur in BTR as it would be a major conservation initiative for this endangered species. The present study on reintroduced gaur was carried out from March 2011 to February 2013 covering all seasons in a year, summer (March - June), monsoon (July - October) and winter (November - February) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Central India, to study the ranging pattern and habitat use.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Prey selection, ranging pattern and habitat utilization of the reintroduced tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, western India.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2015) Bhattacharjee, Subhadeep; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Qamar
    In a forest ecosystem, large felids are generally the top predators in almost every food chain influencing the structure and dynamics of the subsequent descending trophic levels. Evaluation of last fifty years’ presence and absence status of large felids in Protected Areas (PAs) of Indian subcontinent revealed that local extinction was highest in the dry deciduous habitat. Tiger, among all large felids had already become locally extinct from 70% of semi-arid dry thorn and 35% of dry deciduous forest areas. Tigers in dry semi-arid forests with its global western most limit, survive in small isolated populations. The present study assessed the movements and ranging patterns, prey availability, prey utilization and resource selection of reintroduced tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve from July 2008 to June 2012. After the local extermination of the tiger population in Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR), during December, 2005 with the consent of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Rajasthan Forest Department a recovery plan for tigers in Sariska was prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India along with a detailed protocol for tiger reintroduction. The present study was conducted in 400 km2 area which is the notified National Park area of Sariska Tiger Reserve from July 2008 to June 2012 covering all the three seasons monsoon (July to October), winter (November to February) and summer (March to June) with the following objectives: a) to evaluate the prey availability for the reintroduced tigers, b) to assess the prey selection patterns of the reintroduced tigers, c) to study the movement and ranging patterns of the reintroduced tigers and d) to assess the habitat utilization patterns, resource selection and response of tiger to various anthropogenic pressure in the study area. In Sariska, peafowl was observed to be the most abundant prey species throughout the study period.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item