Theses and Dissertations
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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, QamarThe 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.Item Evaluation of impact of landscape changes on large mammal habitats in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Basu, Santanu; Sankar, K.A study on the vegetation and wildlife habitats was conducted in the Rajaji-Corbett National Parks and adjoining areas using remote sensing, geographical information system (GIS) and conventional field sampling techniques. Steady increase in anthropogenic pressures in this area has led to degradation and fragmentation of wildlife habitats and related environmental problems. While the two national parks have received attention due to their legal status, the surrounding areas such as the vital corridor connecting the two parks have been largely overlooked. This connecting forest faces dual threat from the surrounding villagers as well as the migratory pastoral communities viz., Gujjars and Bhotias. The literature review reveals that vegetation ecologists have conducted a few studies within Rajaji and Corbett National Parks. Most of the studies pertain to documentation and description of plant species, analysis of community structures, analysis of the problems of sal regeneration and habitat ecology of selected species in isolated areas. However, no effort had so far been made to analyse the overall terrain and landscape features in relation to vegetation structure in the area, which is essential for characterizing the wildlife habitat. Detailed maps depicting the vegetation types, terrain categories and habitat suitability for major ungulates were not available for the area. Similarly, no literature was available on the patterns of plant species diversity in relation to the habitat conditions. Therefore the present study was undertaken in this area. The specific objectives of the study area were to: 1) Spatially analyse the vegetation types, terrain categories and prepare maps for the same using remote sensing, 2) Study the structure and composition of various vegetation types in the corridor area.3) Study the patterns of plant species diversity and other related parameters. 4) Analyse habitat characteristics for major ungulates using Remote Sensing and GIS. The extensive study area was analysed through maps prepared using remote sensing techniques. This area covers about 10,766.7 km 2 and lies between 2900' to 30031' Nand 77015' to 80016' E. It includes the following national parks: a) Rajaji National park (820 km2 29052' to 30015' N and 77055' to 78019' E), and b) Corbett Tiger reserve (1320 km2, including 520 km2 of core area, 29025' to 29040' Nand 7805' to 7905' E).Item Habitat and Food Resources Use in Relation to Sex Age and Group Size in Sambar (Rusa unicolor) During Winter in Dry Tropical Deciduous Habitat of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2011) Goswamy, Amit; Goyal, S.P.; Sankar, K.The study of habitat use depends on various factors' like environmental conditions, resource availability, physiological condition of an animal and sex. The present research for my dissertation shows that it does exist and it attempts to explain how it is happening. Sambar is a major prey species of tiger and other big cats across most of the parks in India. For the conservation of large predators it is important to evaluate and study the habitat requirement of its major prey species in detail to the level of its age and sex categories. My field study was undertaken between Dec 2010 to March 2011. Intensive study area of 90 sq km was selected in Ranthambhore. to quantify resource availability and use by different categories with respect to sex, age and group size during winter. It was found out that there is a difference in the habitat use of sambar due to sex, age and group size categories, out of the many parameters evaluated and comparisons made it was seen that though in some cases the differences were not profound, and some showed only minor changes, but in majority of the cases the trend observed was as per the expectation. Where smaller body size male animals < 3 yrs) and female associated with fawn and subadults always prefer areas having a good quality resource whereas the adult male and sambar in large group size were mainly in the areas of abundant resource rather than the quality.Item A Study of Vigilance Behaviour of Chital (Axis axis) in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2009) Ghuman, Sartaj S.; Sankar, K.Predation is an important agent of natural selection in animal communities and so vigilance behaviour has very high selection pressure acting upon it. During feeding bouts, unless plant density and biomass are high and food intake is limited only by the processing rates, herbivores tend to experience a trade-off between vigilance and feeding. Thus, vigilance as a behaviour pattern ought to be tightly regulated by the cost-benefit ratios. A study on vigilance behaviour of chital (Axis axis) was conducted at Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh from December 2008 to April 2009. The objectives of the study were to examine the determinants of individual and group vigilance in chital; and also to examine the t effect of conspecific behaviour on individual vigilance. I used scan sampling with fixed interval recording to estimate group vigilance and focal animal sampling with continuous recording to estimate individual vigilance levels. Three main factors that are known to affect :, vigilance from studies on other herbivores were examined: group size, density of animals in the group and visibility. Scanning behaviour was used as an estimate of vigilance. 'Scanning' refers to the state when the animal has its head above shoulder level and the senses of sight, smell and hearing are actively 'scanning' the environment. Individual vigilance was found to decrease with increasing group size, decreasing density and increasing visibility. In large groups adult males, fawns and adult females with fawns were found to be significantly more vigilant than females without fawns and yearling males. Group vigilance level was found to increase significantly with increasing group size, even as the group scan level decreased. Individuals seemed to reduce vigilance with relation to group size rather than the group vigilance level. The results suggest that individual chital do not adopt levels of scanning that maximize cooperative predator detection. The benefits of the group size effect vary with age-sex classes and other probable internal and external predation risk Factors and so vigilance is more likely governed by a combination of dilution and detection hypotheses mechanisms, the focus changing from one to the other with individual risk.Item Resource selection and resource partitioning among wild ungulates in the tropical semi-arid forest of Ranthambhore National Park. Rajasthan.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2001) Bagchi, Sumanta; Goyal, S.P.; Sankar, K.This study attempted to explore and describe the pattern of resource selection and inter-relationship in communal niche space of four species i.e. chital, sambar, nilgai and chinkara in dry deciduous semi arid forests of Ranthambhore national park, RajasthanItem Habitat Occupancy by Wild Ungulates in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1997) Acharya, Bhaskar B.; Sankar, K.This study on the habitat occupancy by wild ungulates was carried out from November1996 to April 1997 in the Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. the spatial and seasonal difference in habitat occupancy of the major forest types by the wild ungulates viz. chital (Axis axis), sambar (Cervus unicolor), gaur (Bas gaurus), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus) were assessed. The study area was stratified into three major forest types based on floristics and physiognomy as: Teak dominant forest, Anogeissus boswellia mixed forest and Miscellaneous forest. A total of 12 transects were laid in three forest types. Data was collected on ungulate densities, dung abundance and habitat parameters. The Line transect Method was used for estimating ungulate densities. Dung abundance was quantified using a belt transect, at each 200 m point on the transects. Habitat parameters were also quantified at these points. The relationship between habitat factors and the distribution of ungulates were examined using bivariate and multivariate analyses. The results showed that chital densities were significantly lower in Teak dominant forest type in winter, and in the Anogeissus boswellia mixed forest type in summer. Both Teak and Misellaneous forest types showed greater chital densities in summer than in winter. Sambar densities showed no significant differences between forest types both in winter and in summer. Anogeissus boswellia mixed forest type showed a significant increase in sambar density from winter to summer. Chital dung abundance showed no significant differences between forest types, both in winter and in summer, while sambar dung abundance in the Anogeissus boswellia mixed forest type was significantly higher that, other forest types in both seasons. There were significant seasonal differences in chital dung abundance in all forest types, whereas sambar dung abundance increased only in the miscellaneous forest type.