Theses and Dissertations
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Item Study of leopard menace, food habits and habitat parameters in Mandi Distrcit, Himachal Pradesh.(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 2012) Kumar, Devender; Chauhan, N.P.S.This study deals status, distribution and relative abundance of leopard in relation to habitat characteristics of leopard. Estimation of status of leopard population and its distribution become more important in an area when a species is highly threatened due to continuous habitat degradation and loss of habitat due to the increasing human population. Many carnivore species are rare or elusive, and documenting their distribution is difficult. Habitat requirement is also one of the most important factors which influence the distribution and abundance of a species, therefore habitat evaluation is a vital step in the formulation of carnivore management in an area. Large carnivores need large areas of relatively wild habitat. The assessment of nature and extent of man leopard conflict in relation to land use pattern. Carnivores exert a profound influence on biological communities via predation and interspecific competition. Human-carnivore conflict is considered to be a major conservation and rural livelihood issue because many carnivore species have been heavily persecuted due to elevated conflict levels with communities. Present study documented about the enormity of the problem, problem areas and human casualties and livestock depredation with respect to places of occurrence, season, time and circumstances of attack. It would help plan mitigation of leopard problem, besides conservation and future scientific management of the species in Mandi district, Himachal PradeshItem Habitat Use by Goral (Nemorhaedus goral bedfordi) in Majhatal Harsang Wildlife Sanctuary Himachal Pradesh, India(Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1993) Mishra, Charudutt; Johnsingh, A.J.T.Studied the habitat use pattern of goral (Nemorhaedus goral bedfordi} in Majhatal Harsang Wildlife Sanctuary in the Himalaya to determine its habitat requirements. Of special interest were the roles of forage availability and quality and the antipredator strategy of goral in determining its habitat selection. These factors are of paramount importance in influencing the habitat selection by mountain ungulates. Diet composition of goral in terms of the proportions of graminoids versus browse was determined through pellet analysis. Its escape strategy was determined by direct observation. These results were then related to the actual habitat use patterns, which were determined by obtaining and quantifying locations of goral (n=334) over two seasons, along five monitoring trails. Use of each habitat category was interpreted with respect to its availability. A non-mapping technique was used for determining the availability of each habitat component. I identified nine vegetation types based on physiognomy and floristics. These were: Open Pine Community (OPC), Dense Pine Forest (DPF), Open Oak-Pine Community (OOPC), Dense Oak-Pine Forest (DOPF), Nullah Oak Forest with Low undergrowth (NOFL), Nullah Oak Forest with High undergrowth (NOFH), Euphorbia-Woodfordia-Dodoenia Scrub (EWDS), Open Euphorbia Scrub (OES) and Low Altitude Nullah Forest (LANF). Both forage quality and the antipredator strategy had a profound influence on habitat selection by goral. Goral was a grazer. It was partial to the younger, more nutritive grass phenophases - a prediction that can be made on the basis of its small body size. It preferred open areas with extensive grass cover. Forest cover, along with cliffs, was an important escape area for goral. But it avoided areas with extensive shrub cover. Such areas have little grass. Besides, the shrub cover obstructs visibility and quick movement, and makes the animal vulnerable to predation.