Theses and Dissertations

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4

An assessment of abundance, habitat use and prey selection by carnivores in Khanchendzonga Biosphere Reserve, Sikkim
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2013) Bashir, Tawqir; Sathyakumar, S.
The present study conducted for about five years (2008-2012) was therefore designed to generate some baseline information on the carnivores of the least explored part of the eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot i.e., the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (BR~2,620 km²) with an attempt to assess their diversity, distribution, abundance, space use, food habits, activity patterns and the nature and extent of human-carnivore conflict, if any. An effort was also made to use this information in predicting suitable and priority areas for conservation action and in developing a protocol for long-term population monitoring of these species. Reconnaissance surveys were conducted in seven watersheds of the Khangchendzonga BR and the Prek chu watershed (182 km²) was selected for intensive field work. The study confirmed the presence of 19 species of carnivores from the KBR including 11 species of global conservation significance. In order to understand the factors that govern the co-existence of carnivores in the area their spatial, dietary and temporal patterns of recourse use were also assessed. This study provides the first scientific information on the ecology of carnivores in the Khangchendzonga BR and is of high significance to managers for efficient conservation and management of these ecologically important species and their habitats in such intricate habitats where accessibility and data collection is a limiting factor.
Ranging Patterns of Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) with reference to food availability in Dachigam National Park, Kashmir
(wildlife Institute of India, 2012) Sharma, Lalit Kumar; Sathyakumar, S.
Asiatic black bear are threatened due to poaching for gall bladder (medicine), skin (ornamental), retaliatory killings to reduce bear-human conflicts, and due to large scale habitat degradation or loss. The present study was carried out during 2007-2011 to address the issues related to movement patterns of black bear in relation to food availability in Dachigam landscape and to understand the food and feeding habits of black bear in different seasons. Habitat characterization and mapping were carried out to assess habitat quality and to understand the level of fragmentation and composition of Dachigam landscape. The forest fragmentation analysis in the present study suggested intermediate level of fragmentation and it is likely to increase because of human encroachment on the forest land. The forested fragmentation can adversely impact the movement of bear in the landscape which may lead to demographic as well as genetic isolation of species, hence leading to population fragmentation and extirpation.
Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) Abundance, Habitat Occupany Patterns, and Conflicts with Humans in and around Dachigam National Park, Kashmir.
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Charoo, Samina Amin; Sathyakumar, S.
The present study focused on the abundance estimation, habitat use patterns and human - bear interactions in Dachigam National Park and Dachigam Landscape, Jammu and Kashmir, India during the period 2007-2010. The abundance estimation is the basic information needed for any species. In this study abundance estimation of black bears was tried out through various methods: sign surveys, camera trapping and non- invasive genetic method. Sign surveys were carried out to understand the encounter rates of black bears within Dachigam National Park.
Playing it Safe Tiger Movement and Livestock Depredation Patterns in Panna Tiger Reserve, Central India
(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Mohan, Manu K.; Ramesh, K.; Sathyakumar, S.
The movement of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes is not uncommon anymore. While their presence is superficially tolerated or ignored, it is a consistent cause of concern to the people living in its proximity, due to competing interests in sharing of resources and direct threat to human lives. Carnivores incur energetic costs in the form of restricted activity and having to make spatial and temporal activity adjustments. Humans, on the other hand, face losses from livestock depredation and/or loss of lives. Depredation patterns of livestock by carnivores are associated with a variety of factors including habitat structure as well as movement patterns of carnivores in relation to anthropogenic and livestock activity. Hence, deducing movement patterns of the groups in conflict is an important step in understanding the dynamics of conflict patterns at fine scales. Supplemented by models to predict the probability of conflicts spatially which delineates conflict hotspots, site-specific mitigation measures could be devised. To understand such patterns of carnivore movement and relation to livestock depredation events, I conducted this study in a human-dominated region adjacent to the Critical Tiger Habitat of Panna Tiger Reserve in central India from December 2020 to April 2021, within an area of 200 km2. The broad objective was to model the conflict probability based on the proportion of the human-dominated area used by tigers, its intensity of use and spatio-temporal activity within the area, in response to human disturbances. For this, I used intensive camera trap sampling at fine-scale within grids (1 km x 1 km) across the entire study area. Movement parameters of tigers such as displacement and distance to villages in day and night were also analysed by monitoring two GPS-collared tigers in the study area. Occupancy estimates showed 74% of the sampled area being used by tigers, with the relative abundance of a large bodied wild prey (sambar) as the strongest predictor. In addition, a clear positive trend in the relative abundance index of tigers with distance to villages was observed. The temporal activities of the tigers also showed a significant difference in median activity time, shifting towards the night along with moderate diurnal activity at higher distances from villages. The tigers exhibited both crepuscular and nocturnal activity at close distances to villages. The movement range analyses of the tigers using camera traps showed the study area being used by 17 tigers, with 9 of them being adults (>3 years of age). Fixed Kernel Density home-range estimates of the two GPS-collared tigers showed a considerable proportion of their home range areas falling within village boundaries (10%) and an average of 16% of all GPS locations of the tigers fell within 0-100 metres from villages. Despite such high exploratory use of areas within and close distances to villages by sub-adults, there were relatively low incidences of conflict between the tigers and villagers in the study area. Finally, to assess the extent of risk and predict the probability of livestock depredation in the area, Generalized Linear Models were used. The best-fit model indicated a significant negative effect of distance to villages and highway to the probability of livestock depredation. Linear intrusions through highway and forest trails from villages allow easy access to livestock and herders for the utilization of the multi-use buffer areas of the Reserve as well as the tigers to come in proximity to settlements. Corralling of livestock in the night, avoiding free-ranging and grazing of livestock in the identified conflict hotspots, incentivization of alternate source of livelihood by strengthening the institutions such as Eco-Development Committees, along with continuous monitoring of tigers which range close to human settlements are discussed as some of the important measures which can be adopted to decrease the interfaces leading to tiger-human conflict in Panna Tiger Reserve.

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