A baseline survey of ungulate abundance and distribution in northern Lao: implications for conservation

AbstractLarge ungulates across South-east Asia have been experiencing a rapid decline in recent decades because of overexploitation by humans. An absence of reliable data on the abundance and distribution of ungulates makes it difficult to assess the effectiveness of conservation efforts to recover their populations. As the principal prey for Endangered tigers Panthera tigris, depletion of wild ungulates is a major threat to the species' persistence and recovery across its range. This study estimated abundance and distribution of five ungulate taxa using a grid-based occupancy survey across a 3,000 km2 core zone within the 5,950 km2 Nam Et–Phou Louey National Protected Area in northern Lao. The results show an abundance index of 5.29 ± 0.30 ungulates per km2, with muntjac Munticus spp. and wild pig Sus spp. being most common, moderate levels of serow Capricornis milneedwardsii and sambar Cervus unicolor but few gaur Bos gaurus. This low abundance of medium- and large-sized ungulates at the site strongly suggests that strict control of hunting of these ungulates is important for securing their long-term survival as well as that of the tiger population that depends on them, which is currently the only known breeding population remaining in Indochina.

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Estimating population densities and biomass of ungulates in the temperate ecosystem of Bhutan

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605310000487 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (3) ◽

pp. 376-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Sonam Wangyel Wang

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Prey Availability ◽

Crop Damage ◽

Panthera Tigris ◽

Population Densities ◽

Cuon Alpinus ◽

Livestock Density ◽

Large Predators ◽

Cervus Unicolor ◽

Wild Pig

AbstractIn this study I estimate population densities and biomass of the major prey species of tiger Panthera tigris, leopard Panthera pardus and dhole Cuon alpinus in Bhutan’s temperate ecosystem and recommend measures for reducing crop damage whilst simultaneously protecting ungulate populations. Thirty-two transects totalling 849 km were walked to estimate densities and biomass of ungulates and primates in Bhutan’s Jigme Singye Wangchuck National Park during 2005–2006. Adequate detections (> 40 sightings) for analysis using Distance were obtained for wild pig Sus scrofa (n = 54), muntjac Munticus muntjac (n = 102) and sambar Cervus unicolor (n = 48). Because of similarity in morphology and habitat use, density of serow Capricornis sumatraensis was estimated using the detection probability for sambar. Detections for langur Trachypithecus geei and macaque Macca mulatta were combined (n = 39) to estimate primate density. Mean estimated densities were 3.68 wild pig, 2.17 muntjac, 1.19 sambar, 2.37 primates and 0.36 serow km-2. The three primary prey species of large predators, wild pig, sambar and muntjac, provided a biomass of 379 kg km-2, which could support up to 1.2 tigers per 100 km2. However, the presence of other sympatric carnivores competing for prey in the same area suggests that the actual number of tigers that could be supported is lower. Livestock (density, 6.0 km-2; biomass, 615 kg km-2) apparently supplement prey availability. Ungulate density in the study area is generally low compared to other areas in the Indian sub-continent, and this may be due to conflicts with farmers, excessive grazing of livestock in the forest and the rugged terrain.

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Utility of a psychological framework for carnivore conservation

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605312000245 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 46 (4) ◽

pp. 525-535 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Neil H. Carter ◽

Shawn J. Riley ◽

Jianguo Liu

Keyword(s):

Structural Equation ◽

Equation Model ◽

Panthera Tigris ◽

Multiple Use ◽

Government Officials ◽

Carnivore Conservation ◽

Carnivore Species ◽

Chitwan National Park ◽

Tiger Population

AbstractConserving threatened carnivore species increasingly depends on the capacity of local people to cohabit with those species. To examine such capacity we developed a novel psychological framework for conservation in regions of the world where there are human–carnivore conflicts, and used the Endangered tiger Panthera tigris to explore the utility of this framework. Specifically, we tested three hypotheses in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, where increasing human–tiger conflicts potentially jeopardize long-term coexistence. We administered a survey to 499 individuals living < 2 km from the Park and in nearby multiple-use forest, to record preferred future tiger population size and factors that may influence preferences, including past interactions with tigers (e.g. livestock predation) and beliefs and perceptions about tigers. Over 17% of respondents reported that a tiger had attacked their livestock or threatened them directly. Results from a structural equation model indicated that respondents who preferred fewer tigers in the future were less likely to associate tigers with beneficial attributes, more likely to associate tigers with undesirable attributes, and more likely to believe that government officials poorly manage tiger-related risks and that people are vulnerable to risks from tigers. Our framework can help address current and future conservation challenges because it (1) integrates an expansive and generalized set of psychological concepts, (2) enables the identification of conservation interventions that foster coexistence between people and carnivores, and (3) is suitable for broad application.

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Diet of Bengal Tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

European Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1515/eje-2017-0008 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 80-84 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Shivish Bhandari ◽

Mukesh Kumar Chalise ◽

Chiranjibi Prasad Pokharel

Keyword(s):

National Park ◽

Panthera Tigris ◽

Mammal Species ◽

Small Component ◽

Axis Axis ◽

Panthera Tigris Tigris ◽

Chitwan National Park ◽

Muntiacus Muntjak ◽

Cervus Unicolor ◽

Wild Pig

AbstractWe studied the diet of the Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Chitwan National Park, Nepal, by identifying 109 prey items from 85 tiger scats. Tigers in this region fed upon eight different mammal species. Chital (Axis axis) was the major prey with a frequency of 45% of the Tigers’ diet. The occurrence of other prey species included sambar (Cervus unicolor, 23%), wild pig (Sus scrofa, 15%), hog deer (Axis porcinus, 9%), barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak, 4%), and gaur (Bos gaurus, 2%). Tigers also hunted livestock, but this prey comprised a small component of the relative biomass (buffalo 5% and cow 2%). Our study suggests that the tiger depends mostly upon wild prey for its subsistence in the Chitwan National Park, but will also sporadically hunt livestock.

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Spatial differences in prey preference by tigers across the Bangladesh Sundarbans reveal a need for customised strategies to protect prey populations

Endangered Species Research ◽

10.3354/esr01052 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 65-73

Author(s):

MA Aziz ◽

MA Islam ◽

J Groombridge

Keyword(s):

Prey Species ◽

Species Conservation ◽

Prey Preference ◽

Panthera Tigris ◽

Relative Contribution ◽

Spotted Deer ◽

Spatial Differences ◽

Tiger Population ◽

The Sundarbans ◽

Wild Pig

The Sundarbans is the only mangrove habitat in the world to support tigers Panthera tigris, whose persistence there is believed to be dependent on a very limited number of prey species. Conservation managers therefore need to understand how tigers utilise available prey species on a spatial scale in order to formulate a prey-based protection strategy for this global-priority tiger landscape. A total of 512 scat samples were collected during a survey of 1984 km2 of forest across 4 sample blocks in the 6017 km2 of the Bangladesh Sundarbans. Analysis of scat composition and prey remains reliably identified 5 major prey species, of which spotted deer Axis axis and wild pig Sus scrofa contributed a cumulative biomass of 89% to tiger diet. Tiger preference for prey species was highly skewed towards spotted deer and wild pig, but the relative contribution of these 2 species differed significantly across the 4 study areas, which spanned the Sundarbans, demonstrating important spatial patterns of tiger prey preference across the Sundarbans landscape. Given the comparatively limited number of prey species available to support the dwindling tiger population, different strategies are needed in different parts of the Sundarbans to support tiger populations and to protect spotted deer and wild pig populations from unabated poaching.

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Population viability analysis shows spotted-tailed quolls may be vulnerable to competition

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am12045 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 35 (2) ◽

pp. 180 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

A. S. Glen ◽

C. R. Dickman

Keyword(s):

Population Viability Analysis ◽

Population Viability ◽

Case Scenario ◽

Worst Case ◽

Term Survival ◽

Exploitation Competition ◽

Viability Analysis ◽

Probability Of Survival ◽

Abundance And Distribution

Competition between carnivores can strongly affect their behaviour, abundance and distribution. Recent analyses suggest a strong likelihood of competition between eutherian predators and the endangered spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus), although experiments are required to confirm this. If competition does occur, what are its likely effects on the long-term survival of spotted-tailed quoll populations? We used population viability analysis (PVA) to predict the fate of a hypothetical quoll population under various scenarios of competition. PVA showed that spotted-tailed quoll populations may be susceptible to extinction when faced with high densities of competitors. Model scenarios simulating exploitation competition and/or intraguild killing greatly reduced the population’s probability of survival, leading in the worst-case scenario to almost certain extinction.

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Caspases and apoptosis

Essays in Biochemistry ◽

10.1042/bse0380009 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 38 ◽

pp. 9-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 121

Author(s):

Guy S Salvesen

Keyword(s):

Cysteine Proteases ◽

Signalling Pathways ◽

Term Survival ◽

Mature Adult ◽

Intracellular Signalling Pathways ◽

Adult Cell ◽

Caspase Family ◽

Cell Fragments ◽

Pro Inflammatory Cytokines

The ability of metazoan cells to undergo programmed cell death is vital to both the precise development and long-term survival of the mature adult. Cell deaths that result from engagement of this programme end in apoptosis, the ordered dismantling of the cell that results in its 'silent' demise, in which packaged cell fragments are removed by phagocytosis. This co-ordinated demise is mediated by members of a family of cysteine proteases known as caspases, whose activation follows characteristic apoptotic stimuli, and whose substrates include many proteins, the limited cleavage of which causes the characteristic morphology of apoptosis. In vertebrates, a subset of caspases has evolved to participate in the activation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and thus members of the caspase family participate in one of two very distinct intracellular signalling pathways.

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