Theses and Dissertations

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Start date: 2020Subject: search.filters.subject.Prey species

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    Tigers in a multi-use forest: Prey, diet and conflict
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2025) Chauhan, Aayush; Pandav, Bivash; Habib, Bilal
    This 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.
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    Aspects of ecology of large carnivores and their prey in and around Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India.
    (Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2021) Adhikarimayum, Aisho Sharma; Gopi, G.V.
    The conservation of large mammalian carnivore is prioritized as it acts as keystone species across diverse zones of habitat around the globe. They play an important role in regulating and maintaining the abundance of ungulates, in turn influencing the functioning of the ecosystem. In the last few decades, large carnivore’s population have been declining due to anthropogenic activities such as habitat destructions creating forest patch, illegal trade and hunting on wildlife. These threats posed a challenge in the conservation and management of large mammalian carnivores. The co-existence of large carnivores is occurring in many places in the wild due to the availability of less prey base, habitat fragmentation and high human interferences. Thus, the understanding of ecology of large carnivore and their prey species particularly on habitat selection, prey-predators’ relations in aspects of distribution and abundance, such ecological data can be useful to evaluate not only their habitat requirement but will also aid in long term management of wildlife and conservation of their habitats. So, efficient conservation and monitoring of large carnivores such as tiger and wild dog (dhole) is required for the assessment of complex mix of ecological, ethical and symbolic inter-relationships. The study was conducted at Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary; it covers an area of 4149 km2 and situated in Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh. The tiger is culturally considered as a brother by the local Idu Mishmi community who live in the Dibang Valley district in Arunachal Pradesh. Though the local community has long been claiming about the presence of tigers in the region, unfortunately, no efforts were made by the line departments, academicians, or conservationists to assess and monitor the tigers, their prey, and habitat in Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary. This preliminary study was carried out after the rescue of tiger cubs from the district in Angrim Valley during December 2012. The rescued tiger cubs were the first-ever record of a tiger from the sanctuary. The primary objectives for the aspects of ecology of large carnivores and their prey in and around Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary are: a) To estimate the abundance of large carnivores in and around the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, b) Assess the abundance of wild prey in and around the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, c) Assess the food habits and prey selectivity of large carnivores in and around the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary, and d) To quantify the extent of human-wildlife interaction in and around the protected area. An intensive camera trapping exercise was carried out during October 2015 to June 2017 in the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining landscapes to monitor large carnivores and their prey species. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary and its adjoining landscape harbors sizable population of large carnivores such as tiger and wild dogs. The study has reported the first photographic evidence of tiger presence from the community forest of Mishmi hills range in Dibang Valley District at an altitude of 3630 m amsl and it is the highest record from the Indian part of the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity hotspot. This study has generated baseline information on tiger, wild dog and prey species in Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining landscape. Tigers do not necessarily use only the protected areas; they use the community forests outside the protected area as well.