Diet ecology of tigers and leopards in Chhattisgarh, central India
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Wild prey base is a potential regulatory parameter that supports successful propagation and secured long term survival of large predators in their natural habitats. Therefore, low wild prey availability with higher available livestock in or around forest areas often catalyzes livestock depredation by predators that eventually leads to adverse situations to conservation initiatives. Thus understanding the diet ecology of large predators is significant for their conservation in the areas with low prey base. The present study reports the diet ecology of tiger and leopard in Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve and Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, in central India to know the effect of wild prey availability on prey predator relationship. We walked line transects to estimate prey abundance in the study areas where we found langur and rhesus macaque to be the most abundant species. Scat analysis showed that despite the scarcity of large and medium ungulates, tiger used wild ungulates including chital and wild pig along with high livestock utilization (39%). Leopards highly used langur (43–50 %) as a prime prey species but were observed to exploit livestock as prey (7–9 %) in both the study areas. Scarcity of wild ungulates and continuous livestock predation by tiger and leopard eventually indicated that the study areas were unable to sustain healthy large predator populations. Developing some strong protection framework and careful implementation of the ungulate augmentation can bring a fruitful result to hold viable populations of tiger and leopard and secure their long term survival in the present study areas in central India, Chhattisgarh.
Article Details
Authors own the copyright to the articles published in JoTT. This is indicated explicitly in each publication. The authors grant permission to the publisher Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD) Society to publish the article in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors recognize WILD as the original publisher, and to sell hard copies of the Journal and article to any buyer. JoTT is registered under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY), which allows authors to retain copyright ownership. Under this license the authors allow anyone to download, cite, use the data, modify, reprint, copy and distribute provided the authors and source of publication are credited through appropriate citations (e.g., Son et al. (2016). Bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) of the southeastern Truong Son Mountains, Quang Ngai Province, Vietnam. Journal of Threatened Taxa 8(7): 8953–8969. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.2785.8.7.8953-8969). Users of the data do not require specific permission from the authors or the publisher.
References
Akaike, H. (1973). Information theory and an extension of the maximum likelihood principle. In: Petrov, B.N. & F. Csáki (eds.). 2nd International Symposium on Information Theory, Tsahkadsor, Armenia, USSR, September 2-8, 1971, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó, 267–281pp.
Anderson, D.R., J.L. Laake, Β.R. Crain & Κ.V. Burnham (1979). Guidelines for line transect sampling of biological populations. Journal of Wildlife Management 43: 70–78.
Athreya, V., M. Odden, J.D.C. Linnell, J. Krisnaswamy & U. Karanth (2016). A cat among the dogs: leopard Panthera pardus diet in a human-dominated landscape in western Maharashtra, India. Oryx 50(1): 156–162. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605314000106 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605314000106
Bailey, T.N. (1993). The African Leopard: Ecology and Behaviour of a Solitary Felid. Columbia University Press, New York, 429pp. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7312/bail90198
Basak, K., D. Mandal, S. Babu, R. Kaul, N.V.K. Ashraf, A. Singh & K. Mondal (2018). Prey animals of tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in Dudhwa Landscape, Terai Region, north India. Proceedings of the Zoological Society 71(1): 92–98.
Bahuguna, A., V. Sahajpal, S.P. Goyal, S.K. Mukherjee & V. Thakur (2010). Species identification from guard hair of selected Indian Mammals: A reference Guide. Dehradun, India: Wildlife Institute of India.
Biswas, S. & K. Sankar (2002). Prey abundance and food habit of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Zoology 256(3): 411–420.
Bothma, J.du.P. & E.A.N. Le Riche (1990). The influence of increasing hunger on the hunting behaviour of southern Kalahari leopards. Journal of Arid Environments 18: 79–84.
Buckland, S.T., D.R. Anderson, K.P. Burnham & J.L. Laake (1993). Distance Sampling: Estimating Abundance of Biological Populations. Chapman and Hall, London, 446pp.
Buckland, S.T., D.R. Anderson, K.P. Burnham, J.L. Laake, D.L. Borcher & L. Thomas (2001). Introduction to Distance Sampling. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 448pp.
Burnham, K.P., D.R. Anderson & J.L. Laake (1980). Estimation of density from line transect sampling of biological populations. Wildlife Monograph 72: 1–202.
Champion, H.G. & S.K. Seth (1968). The Forest Types of India. Delhi. The Government of India press, New Delhi, 404pp.
Chakrabarti, S., Y.V. Jhala, S. Dutta, Q. Qureshi, R.F. Kadivar & V.J. Rana (2016). Adding constraints to predation through allometric relation of scats to consumption. Journal of Applied Ecology 85(3): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12508 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12508
Dale, B.W., L.G. Adams & R.T. Bowyer (1994). Functional response of wolves preying on barren-ground caribou in a multiple-prey ecosystem. Journal of Animal Ecology 63: 644-652.
Daniel, J.C. (1996). The Leopard in India. Natraj Publishers, Dehra Dun, 228pp.
Edgaonkar, A. (2008). Ecology of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Satpuda National Park, India. Dissertation, University of Florida, Gainseville, Florida, USA.
Edgaonkar, A. & R. Chellam (1998). A preliminary study on the ecology of the Leopard, Panthera pardus fusca in Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Maharashtra. RR-98/002. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehadun, 33pp.
Eisenberg, J.F. & M. Lockhart (1972). An ecological reconnaissance of Wilpattu National Park, Ceylon. Smithsonian Contribution Zoology 101: 1–118.
Hayward, M.W., W. Jedrzejewski & B. Jedrzejewska (2012). Prey preferences of the Tiger Panthera tigris. Journal of Zoology 286: 221–231. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00871.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2011.00871.x
Ivlev, V.S. (1961). Experimental ecology of the feeding of fishes. New Haven, Yale University Press, 302pp. Jena J., J. Yogesh., S. Harsh, C. Dave and J. Borah (2014). Large carnivore and prey status in Phen Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India. Technical report, WWF-India.
Jena, J., J. Yogesh, S. Harsh, C. Dave & J. Borah (2014). Large carnivore and prey status in Phen Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India. Technical report, WWF-India.
Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1983). Large mammalian prey-predators in Bandipur. Journal of Bombay Natural Historical Society 80: 1–57.
Karanth, K.U. & M.E. Sunquist (1995). Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dholes and hole in tropical forests. Journal of Animal Ecology 64: 439–450.
Kolipaka, S.S., W.L.M. Tamis, M. van ‘t Zelfde, G.A. Persoon & H.H. de Iongh (2017). Wild versus domestic prey in the diet of reintroduced tigers (Panthera tigris) in the livestock-dominated multiple-use forests of Panna Tiger Reserve, India. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0174844.
Korpimäki, E. (1992). Fluctuating food abundance determines the lifetime reproductive success of male Tengmalm’s owls. Journal of Animal Ecology 61: 103-111.
Krishnamurthy G., A. Rajput, A. Majumdar & Z. Ali (2016). Monitoring predator and prey in Kanha Tiger Reserve: 2016, Madhya Pradesh Forest Research Institute, Jabalpur. Technical Report QMSP_6.3A-04, 16/317.
Le Roux, P.G. & J. D. Skinner (1989). A note on the ecology of the leopard (Panthera pardus Linnaeus) in the Londolozi Game Reserve. African Journal of Ecology 27:167–171.
Link W.A. & U. Karanth (1994). Correcting for over dispersion in tests of prey selectivity. Ecology 2456–2459.
Madhusudan, M.D. (2000). Sacred cows and the protected forest: a study of livestock presence in wildlife reserves. CERC Technical Report No. 4, Nature Conservation Foundation, Mysore, India. Report Submitted to Chicago Zoological Society, Chicago, USA, 25pp.
Majumder, A., K. Sankar, Q. Qureshi & S. Basu (2013). Predation ecology of large sympatric carnivores as influenced by available wild ungulate prey in a tropical deciduous forest of Central India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467413000473 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266467413000473
Mandal, D., K. Basak, R.P. Mishra, R. Kaul & K. Mondal (2017). Status of leopard Panthera pardus and striped Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, central India. Journal of Zoological Studies 4(4): 34-41.
Mills, G. & M. Harvey. (2001). African predators. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington (DC), in association with Struik Publishers, Cape Town, 160pp; https://doi.org/10.1086/343985 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/343985
Miquelle, D.G., E.N. Smirnov, H.G. Quigley, M.G. Hornocker, I.G. Nikolaev & E.N. Matyushkin (1996). Food habits of Amur tigers in Sikhote-Alin Zapovednik and the Russian Far East, and implications for conservation. Journal of Wildlife Research 1(2): 138–147.
Mondal K., S. Gupta, Q. Qureshi & K. Sankar (2011). Prey selection and food habits of leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India. Mammalia 75: 201–205.
Mondal, K, S. Bhattacharjee, S. Gupta, K. Sankar & Q. Qureshi (2013). Home range and resource selection of ‘problem’ leopards trans-located to forested habitat. Current Science 105: 338–345.
Mukherjee, S., S.P. Goyal & R. Chellam (1994a). Standardization of scat analysis techniques for Leopard (Panthera pardus) in Gir National Park, Western India. Mammalia 58: 139143. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/mamm.1994.58.1.139
Mukherjee, S., S.P. Goyal & R. Chellam (1994b). Refined techniques for the analysis of Asiatic Lion Panthera leo persica scats. Acta Theriologica 39: 425430. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4098/AT.arch.94-50
Mukherjee, S. & N.S. Sarkar (2013). The range of prey size of the Royal Bengal Tiger of Sundarbans. Journal of Ecosystems 2013: 1–7.
Narasimmarajan, K., S. Mahato & A. Parida (2014). Population density and biomass of the wild prey species in a tropical deciduous forest, Central India. Taprobanica 06(01): 1–6.
Qureshi, Q. & A. Edgaonkar (2006). Ecology of Leopard in Satpura-Bori conservation area, Madhya Pradesh. Final Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, 119pp.
Qureshi, Q., S. Saini, P. Basu, R. Gopal, R. Raza & Y.V. Jhala (2014). Connecting Tiger Populations for Long-term Conservation. Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India, 288pp.
Rabinowitz, A. (1989). The density and behavior of large cats in a dry tropical forest mosaic in Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 37: 235–251.
Ramesh K., J.A. Johnson, S. Sen, R.S. Murthy, M.S. Sarkar, M. Malviya, S. Bhardwaj, M. Naveen, S. Roamin, V.S. Parihar & S. Gupta (2013). Status of tiger and prey species in Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh: capture-recapture and distance sampling estimates. Technical Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, 3pp.
Ramesh, T., V. Snehalatha, K. Sankar & Q. Qureshi (2009). Food habits and prey selection of tiger and leopard in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Scientific Transaction in Environment and Technovation 2(3): 170–181.
Sankar, K. & A.J.T. Johnsingh (2002). Food habits of tiger (Panthera tigris) and leopard (Panthera pardus) in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India, as shown by scat analysis. Mammalia 66: 285-289.
Sankar, K, Q. Qureshi, K. Mondal, D. Worah, T. Srivastava, S. Gupta & S. Basu (2009). Ecological studies in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan.Final Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun, 145pp.
Santiapillai, C., M.R. Chambers & N. Ishwaran (1982). The Leopard Panthera pardus fusca (Meyer 1794) in the Ruhuna National Park, Sri Lanka and observations relevant to its conservation. Biological Conservation 23: 5-14.
Schaller, G.B. (1967). The Deer and the Tiger. University Chicago press, Chicago, 384pp.
Seidensticker, J., I. Suyono & T. Thomas (1980). The Javan tiger and the Meru Betiri Reserve: a plan for management. The World Conservation Union, Gland, Switzerland, 167pp.
Sunquist, M.E. (1981). The social organization of tigers (Panthera tigris) in Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology 336: 1–98. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.336 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810282.336
Schaller, G.B. (1972). The Serengeti Lion: A Study of Predator-Prey Relations. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Pp. xiv-480.
Sidhu, S., G. Raghunathan, D. Mudappa & T.R.S. Raman. (2017). Human-Leopard interactions in a plantation landscape in Anaimalai hills, India. Conservation Society 15: 474–482.
Stander, P.E., P.J. Haden, Kaqece & Ghau (1997). The ecology of a sociality in Namibian leopards. Journal of Zoology 242: 343–364.