PAN-India assessment and monitoring of endangered species covered under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats Program )IDWH)- Nilgiri Tahr

Abstract

The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) is an endangered mountain ungulates endemic to the Southern Western ghats of India, predominantly inhabiting montane grasslands. Historically the species occupied a wide range along the Western ghats. However its current distribution has contracted to less than one tenth of its former extent, primarily due to habitat loss, anthropogenic pressure and poaching. Despite its threatened status, comprehensive data on population size, population dynamics and distribution remain patchy and limited. To address this knowledge gap we Standardize double observer method alongside the Bounded count method and also piloted camera trapped based distance sampling in selected sites.