Understanding the impacts of ecological and anthropogenic factors on stress physiology of wild tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) in Terai-Arc landscape, India

Abstract

This study was conducted on Indian part of TAL, which can be further categorized as western, central and eastern TAL. Western TAL consists of Rajaji-Corbett TCU (level I) with Rajaji tiger reserve (RTR) at the westernmost boundary and Corbett tiger reserve (CTR) towards east as major source population connected and surrounded by reserve forest areas. Rajaji-Corbett TCU with multiple core protected areas connected by forest lands is a macro reserve harboring the largest tiger population in this landscape. I conducted my study with following objectives: Objective 1: Assessing effects of faecal inorganic content variability on quantifying glucocorticoid and thyroid hormone metabolites in large felines. Objective 2: Evaluating the impacts of ecological and anthropogenic factors on tiger stress physiology within Terai-Arc landscape, India. Objective 3: Spatio-temporal analyses of leopard physiological responses to varying tiger density in Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India. The present study quantified various fine and broad scale ecological and anthropogenic factors that can potentially impact physiological health measures of tigers at landscape level and evaluated impact of each factor and discussed the factors, areas and population in immediate need of conservation attention. In this study discussed the need for species specific standardization and validation of hormone extraction and quantification procedure. I looked at a potential factor that can confound hormone metabolite measures from faecal samples and provided solutions to control that factor in free ranging large carnivores. Study quantified physiological responses of leopard to changing competition intensity from dominant predators (tigers). I assessed and discussed the reasons of past and present physiological status of leopard in light of diet quality, competition intensity and habitat productivity. This study with its methodological improvement, landscape level approach and an attempt to provide physiological evidence of cost of interspecies competition (first for tiger-leopard dynamics) is an important contribution in the field of conservation physiology