scholarly journals Co-occurrence of snow leopard Panthera uncia, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica and livestock: potential relationships and effects

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 118-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Rovero ◽  
Claudio Augugliaro ◽  
Rasmus Worsøe Havmøller ◽  
Claudio Groff ◽  
Fridolin Zimmermann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Altai Mountains ◽  
Wild Ungulates ◽  
Wild Ungulate ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Panthera Uncia

AbstractUnderstanding the impact of livestock on native wildlife is of increasing conservation relevance. For the Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia, wild prey reduction, intensifying human–wildlife conflicts and retaliatory killings are severe threats potentially exacerbated by the presence of livestock. Elucidating patterns of co-occurrence of snow leopards, wild ungulate prey, and livestock, can be used to assess the compatibility of pastoralism with conservation. We used camera trapping to study the interactions of livestock, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica and snow leopards in a national park in the Altai mountains, Mongolia. We obtained 494 detections of wild mammals and 912 of domestic ungulates, dogs and humans. Snow leopards and Siberian ibex were recorded 14 and 33 times, respectively. Co-occurrence modelling showed that livestock had a higher estimated occupancy (0.65) than ibex, whose occupancy was lower in the presence of livestock (0.11) than in its absence (0.34–0.35 depending on scenarios modelled). Snow leopard occupancy did not appear to be affected by the presence of livestock or ibex but the robustness of such inference was limited by uncertainty around the estimates. Although our sampling at presumed snow leopard passing sites may have led to fewer ibex detections, results indicate that livestock may displace wild ungulates, but may not directly affect the occurrence of snow leopards. Snow leopards could still be threatened by livestock, as overstocking can trigger human–carnivore conflicts and hamper the conservation of large carnivores. Further research is needed to assess the generality and strength of our results.

scholarly journals Status of the mountain ungulate prey of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia in the Tost Local Protected Area, South Gobi, Mongolia

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 214-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lkhagvasumberel Tumursukh ◽  
Kulbhushansingh R. Suryawanshi ◽  
Charudutt Mishra ◽  
Thomas M. McCarthy ◽  
Bazartseren Boldgiv
Keyword(s):  
Protected Area ◽  
Nature Reserve ◽  
Camera Trap ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Wild Ungulates ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Demographic Surveys ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Ovis Ammon ◽  
Panthera Uncia

AbstractThe availability of wild prey is a critical predictor of carnivore density. However, few conservation programmes have focused on the estimation and monitoring of wild ungulate populations and their trends, especially in the remote mountains of Central Asia. We conducted double-observer surveys to estimate the populations of ibex Capra sibirica and argali Ovis ammon in the mountainous regions of Tost Local Protected Area, South Gobi province, Mongolia, which is being considered for designation as a Nature Reserve. We also conducted demographic surveys of the more abundant ibex to examine their sex-ratio and the survival of young during 2012–2013. The estimated ibex population remained stable in 2012 and 2013 and the estimated argali population increased from 108 in 2012 to 230 in 2013. The biomass of wild ungulates was c. 6% that of livestock. Mortality in young ibex appeared to increase after weaning, at the age of 12 months. We estimated the population of wild ungulates was sufficient to support 14–18 adult snow leopards Panthera uncia. The adult snow leopard population in our study area during 2012–2013, estimated independently using camera-trap-based mark–recapture methods, was 12–14. Based on our results we identify the Tost Local Protected Area as an important habitat for the conservation of these ungulates and their predator, the Endangered snow leopard, and recommend elevation of its status to a Nature Reserve.

scholarly journals Determinants of herder attitudes towards the Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia in Yushu Prefecture, China

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte E. Hacker ◽  
Yunchuan Dai ◽  
Yifan Cheng ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Yuguang Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Formal Education ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Qinghai Province ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Financial Burdens ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Panthera Uncia

Abstract Yushu Prefecture in Qinghai Province provides some of the largest known stretches of habitat for the Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia in China. People living in these areas are dependent on agropastoralism. Support from local communities is necessary for effective long-term conservation action for snow leopards, but loss of livestock to snow leopards can create financial burdens that induce negative attitudes and encourage retaliatory killing. We assessed factors driving herders' attitudes towards snow leopards and their conservation. We found that herders had higher agreement with positive than with negative statements about snow leopards despite nearly half reporting livestock loss to snow leopards within the last 5 years. No retaliatory killing was reported. Herders with more years of formal education and fewer livestock losses were more likely to have positive attitudes whereas those with lower importance of snow leopards to their religion, fewer livestock losses, and fewer years of education were more likely to have negative attitudes. Understanding the multifaceted mechanisms responsible for positive views towards species is imperative for reaching conservation goals. Our findings ascribe to the importance of increased education and adherence to Tibetan beliefs in promoting conservation tolerance towards snow leopards in Qinghai Province, but also indicate a need for further research into the impact of livestock loss.

scholarly journals Keeping predators out: testing fences to reduce livestock depredation at night-time corrals

Oryx ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustaf Samelius ◽  
Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi ◽  
Jens Frank ◽  
Bayarjargal Agvaantseren ◽  
Erdenechimeg Baasandamba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Predation Pressure ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Large Carnivores ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Livestock Depredation ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Panthera Uncia

Abstract Livestock depredation by large carnivores is a global conservation challenge, and mitigation measures to reduce livestock losses are crucial for the coexistence of large carnivores and people. Various measures are employed to reduce livestock depredation but their effectiveness has rarely been tested. In this study, we tested the effectiveness of tall fences to reduce livestock losses to snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus at night-time corrals at the winter camps of livestock herders in the Tost Mountains in southern Mongolia. Self-reported livestock losses at the fenced corrals were reduced from a mean loss of 3.9 goats and sheep per family and winter prior to the study to zero losses in the two winters of the study. In contrast, self-reported livestock losses in winter pastures, and during the rest of the year, when herders used different camps, remained high, which indicates that livestock losses were reduced because of the fences, not because of temporal variation in predation pressure. Herder attitudes towards snow leopards were positive and remained positive during the study, whereas attitudes towards wolves, which attacked livestock also in summer when herders moved out on the steppes, were negative and worsened during the study. This study showed that tall fences can be very effective at reducing night-time losses at corrals and we conclude that fences can be an important tool for snow leopard conservation and for facilitating the coexistence of snow leopards and people.

scholarly journals Investigating the potential impact of trophy hunting of wild ungulates on snow leopard Panthera uncia conservation in Tajikistan

Oryx ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 597-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon M. Kachel ◽  
Kyle P. McCarthy ◽  
Thomas M. McCarthy ◽  
Nuzar Oshurmamadov
Keyword(s):  
Financial Incentives ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Economic Status ◽  
Preliminary Evidence ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Wild Ungulates ◽  
Trophy Hunting ◽  
Similar Area ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Panthera Uncia

AbstractDeclining availability of prey is potentially a major factor limiting snow leopard Panthera uncia populations in Tajikistan and neighbouring states. Conservation initiatives to develop community-based trophy hunting programmes for ibex Capra sibirica and argali Ovis ammon polii aim to provide financial incentives for communities to limit poaching of wild ungulates. Such programmes could help to reverse local declines in ibex and argali populations, and consequently snow leopard populations, while simultaneously improving the economic status of local people. However, in practice the desired effect may not materialize. To investigate the premise, we estimated the population density of the snow leopard, using a spatial capture–recapture model based on camera trapping in two study areas (each c. 1,000 km2) in the Tajik Pamirs: a well-managed trophy hunting concession and an otherwise similar area where grazing and poaching are unmanaged. We used distance-truncated counts to assess relative densities of wild and domestic ungulates between sites, and faecal analyses to compare the dietary habits of snow leopards. Our data were limited in scope but suggested that the density of snow leopards and the relative density of wild and domestic ungulates may have been greater in the hunting concession, where wild ungulates accounted for a greater proportion of prey items. Our results provide preliminary evidence that trophy hunting of ungulates may be a viable tool for achieving snow leopard conservation goals; however, we conclude that further investigation is necessary to adequately address the question.

scholarly journals Factors contributing to a striking shift in human–wildlife dynamics in Hemis National Park, India: 22 years of reported snow leopard depredation

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 58-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pushpinder S. Jamwal ◽  
Jigmet Takpa ◽  
Michael H. Parsons
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Large Population ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Government ◽  
Hunting Regulations ◽  
Government Records ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Free Ranging

AbstractHemis National Park of the Trans-Himalayas is home to a large population of the snow leopard Panthera uncia and increasing numbers of agro-pastoralists. To persist in this harsh terrain, farmers have to either farm livestock or hunt free-ranging, native ungulates. The availability of more livestock and fewer natural prey created a dynamic whereby snow leopards depredated livestock, followed by retaliatory killing of snow leopards. In 1992, to assist farmers and wildlife, the government enacted a cost-compensation scheme. Following a decade with marginally fewer depredation events, in 2002, two additional strategies were implemented: predator-proof holding pens and the Himalayan Homestay Programme. We assessed 22 years (1992–2013) of depredation data, comparing the periods before and after the additional initiatives. Government records showed that during 1992–2013, 1,624 livestock were depredated from 339 sites, with c. USD 15,000 paid as compensation. There were significantly more kills annually before (a mean of 41) than after (3.5) the initiatives, and mass killings (≥ 5 animals killed per attack) were significantly reduced from 5.5 to 0.5 events per year. Goats and sheep (57%) and horses (13%) comprised the majority of losses. The marked reduction in depredation occurred whilst regulations against hunting were being enforced, probably resulting in an increase in the number of wild prey as alternative food. We conclude that together, cost-compensation, tighter hunting regulations, improved holding pens and the Homestay Programme helped support the well-being of the community while aiding conservation efforts.

scholarly journals Large carnivores and low diversity of optimal prey: a comparison of the diets of snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus in Sarychat-Ertash Reserve in Kyrgyzstan

Oryx ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 48 (4) ◽  
pp. 529-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kubanychbek Jumabay-Uulu ◽  
Per Wegge ◽  
Charudutt Mishra ◽  
Koustubh Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Canis Lupus ◽  
Tien Shan ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Large Prey ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Competition For Food ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Ovis Ammon ◽  
Tien Shan Mountains ◽  
Panthera Uncia

AbstractIn the cold and arid mountains of Central Asia, where the diversity and abundance of wild ungulates are generally low, resource partitioning among coexisting carnivores is probably less distinct than in prey-rich areas. Thus, similar-sized carnivores are likely to compete for food. We compared the summer diets of snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus in Sarychat-Ertash Reserve in the Tien-Shan mountains of Kyrgyzstan, based on analysis of genetically confirmed scats. Abundances of the principal prey species, argali Ovis ammon and Siberian ibex Capra sibirica, were estimated from field surveys. The diets consisted of few species, with high interspecific overlap (Pianka's index = 0.91). Argali was the predominant prey, with > 50% frequency of occurrence in both snow leopard and wolf scats. This was followed by Siberian ibex and marmots Marmota baibacina. Being largely unavailable, remains of livestock were not detected in any of the scats. In the snow leopard diet, proportions of argali and ibex were in line with the relative availabilities of these animals in the Reserve. This was in contrast to the diet of wolf, where argali occurred according to availability and ibex was significantly underrepresented. The high diet overlap indicates that the two predators might compete for food when the diversity of profitable, large prey is low. Competition may be more intense in winter, when marmots are not available. Hunting of argali and ibex outside the Reserve may be unsustainable and therefore reduce their abundances over time. This will affect both predators negatively and intensify competition for food. Reduction in ibex populations will directly affect the snow leopard, and the wolf is likely to be indirectly affected as a result of increased snow leopard predation of argali.

scholarly journals Spatial variation in population-density, movement and detectability of snow leopards in a multiple use landscape in Spiti Valley, Trans-Himalaya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rishi Kumar Sharma ◽  
Koustubh Sharma ◽  
David Borchers ◽  
Yash Veer Bhatnagar ◽  
Kulbhushan Singh Suryawanshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variation ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Multiple Use ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Land Sharing ◽  
Land Sparing ◽  
Capture Recapture ◽  
Human Use ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
The Impact

AbstractThe endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia occurs in human use landscapes in the mountains of South and Central Asia. Conservationists generally agree that snow leopards must be conserved through a land-sharing approach, rather than land-sparing in the form of strictly protected areas. Effective conservation through land-sharing requires a good understanding of how snow leopards respond to human use of the landscape. Snow leopard density is expected to show spatial variation within a landscape because of variation in the intensity of human use and the quality of habitat. However, snow leopards have been difficult to enumerate and monitor. Variation in the density of snow leopards remains undocumented, and the impact of human use on their populations is poorly understood. We examined spatial variation in snow leopard density in Spiti Valley, an important snow leopard landscape in India, via spatially explicit capture recapture analysis of camera trap data. We camera trapped an area encompassing a minimum convex polygon of 953 km2. We estimated an overall density of 0.49 (95% CI: 0.39-0.73) adult snow leopards per 100 km2. Using AIC, our best model showed the density of snow leopards to depend on wild prey density, movement about activity centres to depend on altitude, and the expected number of encounters at the activity centre to depend on topography. Models that also used livestock biomass as a density covariate ranked second, but the effect of livestock was weak. Our results highlight the importance of maintaining high density pockets of wild prey populations in multiple use landscapes to enhance snow leopard conservation.

scholarly journals Status and conservation of the snow leopard Panthera uncia in Api Nampa Conservation Area, Nepal

Oryx ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 421-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gopal Khanal ◽  
Laxman Prasad Poudyal ◽  
Bishnu Prasad Devkota ◽  
Rishi Ranabhat ◽  
Per Wegge
Keyword(s):  
Forest Products ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Livestock Grazing ◽  
Encounter Rate ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Conservation Area ◽  
Sign Surveys ◽  
Snow Leopards ◽  
Panthera Uncia

AbstractThe snow leopard Panthera uncia is globally threatened and reliable information on its abundance, distribution and prey species is a prerequisite for its conservation. In October–November 2014 we assessed the distribution of the snow leopard in the recently established Api Nampa Conservation Area in the Nepal Himalayas. Within selected blocks we conducted sign surveys and counted the number of bharal Pseudois nayaur, its principal wild prey, along transects totalling 106 km. We recorded 203 putative snow leopard signs at an encounter rate of 1.91 signs/km. Generalized linear models of the number of signs detected per transect showed that elevation had a positive influence and human activities a negative influence on sign encounter rate; prey abundance had only a weak positive influence on sign encounter rate. Within the effectively surveyed area of c. 200 km2, we counted 527 bharal at an estimated density of 2.28 animals/km2. Recruitment of bharal was low, estimated at 48 kids/100 adult females, most likely a result of poor or overgrazed rangeland. We estimate the total number of bharal in this conservation area to be > 1,000, a prey base that could sustain 6–9 snow leopards. Based on our field observations, we identified human disturbance and habitat degradation associated with extraction of non-timber forest products, livestock grazing, and poaching as the main threats to the snow leopard. Standardized sign surveys, preferably supplemented by sampling with remote cameras or with genetic analysis of scats would provide robust baseline information on the abundance of snow leopards in this conservation area.

scholarly journals Recovery of snow leopard Uncia uncia in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park, Nepal

Oryx ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 89-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Som B. Ale ◽  
Pralad Yonzon ◽  
Kamal Thapa
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Information Management System ◽  
Snow Leopard ◽  
Mount Everest ◽  
Grazing Land ◽  
System A ◽  
Open Forest ◽  
Hemitragus Jemlahicus ◽  
Himalayan Tahr ◽  
Snow Leopards

From September to November 2004 we conducted surveys of snow leopard Uncia uncia signs in three major valleys in Sagarmatha (Mount Everest) National Park in Nepal using the Snow Leopard Information Management System, a standardized survey technique for snow leopard research. We walked 24 transects covering c. 14 km and located 33 sites with 56 snow leopard signs, and 17 signs incidentally in other areas. Snow leopards appear to have re-inhabited the Park, following their disappearance c. 40 years ago, apparently following the recovery of Himalayan tahr Hemitragus jemlahicus and musk deer Moschus chrysogaster populations. Taken together the locations of all 73 recent snow leopard signs indicate that the species is using predominantly grazing land and shrubland/open forest at elevations of 3,000–5,000 m, habitat types that are also used by domestic and wild ungulates. Sagarmatha is the homeland of c. 3,500 Buddhist Sherpas with >3,000 livestock. Along with tourism and associated developments in Sagarmatha, traditional land use practices could be used to ensure coexistence of livestock and wildlife, including the recovering snow leopards, and ensure the wellbeing of the Sherpas.

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