Thesis Latika Nath.pdf
Creators: name: Nath, Latika
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2021
Subjects: subject: 60801 Animal Behaviour
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: FOS: Biological sciences
subject: 60201 Behavioural Ecology
subject: 60202 Community Ecology (excl. Invasive Species Ecology)
subject: 60299 Ecology not elsewhere classified
subject: 60207 Population Ecology
subject: 60208 Terrestrial Ecology
subject: Zoology

description: <br> The objectives of this study were to make scientific observations on the tiger (<i>Panthera tigris tigris</i>) and to study the use of different methodologies to aid management and conservation of tiger populations at Tala Range, Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. In order to meet the objectives, the following aspects were covered: social organisation of tigers; tiger behaviour; tiger diet and the factors influencing diet; tiger population enumeration; individual tiger identification and monitoring; the applicability of methodologies including Distance Sampling, Autoclass, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and camera trapping; tiger-human interaction and conflict resolution. The study led to conclusions and recommendations for management at the Park or local level – specific to Bandhavgarh, at the regional level (the state of Madhya Pradesh) and the national wildlife conservation policy. Behaviour patterns observed included the tolerance by male tigers for their offspring and tool use by tigers. The study also provides new data on tiger population parameters, home ranges and land tenure systems of tigers in Tala Range. Scratch marking behaviour of tigers was studied and it was found that tigers have a marked preference for certain tree species over others for marking, and almost all these preferred species are those classified as aromatic and/or medicinal plants. A study was carried out about the diet of tigers in the Range using the technique of scat analysis and the study of tiger kills and confirmed that only three of the large and medium sized ungulates present in the Park – cheetal, sambar and wild boar (<i>Axis axis, Cervus unicolor, &amp; Sus scrofa</i>) contributed over 90% to the diet of the tiger. Prey populations in the range were estimated using Distance sampling. Study of the prey distribution patterns and tiger behaviour further revealed that in times of prey abundance and prey concentrations tigers were more tolerant of conspecifics in such areas. Various tiger population enumeration techniques were reviewed including pugmark analysis, mark-recapture techniques and Autoclass. The work suggests that owing to the markedly territorial nature of tigers, which are large mammals living at low densities without an element of homogeneity of distribution patterns within any habitat unit, estimates of tiger population sampling based on limited area sampling, using either mark-recapture or pugmark identification, cannot be extrapolated to give accurate estimates of the total tiger population in the entire habitat unit. Further as the study of tiger behaviour and social organisation revealed that tiger territory sizes vary with time, the results of any population enumeration effort is only valid for the limited sampling area at that given moment in time. The work further suggests that the optimal tiger population estimate and management goals would be best met by a combination of methods including camera trapping and pugmark identification, preferably as an ongoing activity rather than an annual event. The research also suggested that the focus on tiger population enumeration, especially in view of the inherent fallibility of all the methods currently being used or advocated, could be meaningfully shifted to continuous individual tiger monitoring programmes (TMP) for better management. An additional benefit of the TMP would be that it would enable the establishment of a complete national database of individual tigers for any management area or even nationally. It would also allow the Park Latika Nath, D.Phil. Thesis, University of Oxford 2000 iii <br> management and policy and decision makers to monitor tiger turnover rates at local and national levels. Landscape level studies were conducted of the region between the Kanha and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves using GIS, to study forest fragmentation patterns and identify existing forest contiguities between the Reserves. A possible wildlife corridor connecting the two reserves was identified. The study, and the risk analysis carried out, identified key reserved forest tracts that need immediate attention from the management and an increased protection status if the corridor is to be maintained. GIS was also used to create a detailed database on the Tala Range. The populations of 34 villages were interviewed and it was found that villages seemed to harbour no resentment towards tigers in general and tigers were found to be integrated into local religion and folklore. The villagers, however, did complain of increased crop damage that was attributed to an increase in ungulates because of the protection afforded them by the creation of the National Park. It was also felt that they were unable to protect their fields anymore as the hunting of wild animals was now completely banned.