An Insight Into the Diet and Prey Preference of Tigers in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Upadhyaya, Subodh K.; Musters, K.; Lamichhane, Babu Ram; Snoo, G.R. de; Thapa, Panna; Dhakal, Maheshwar; Karmacharya, Dibesh; Shrestha, Purna Man; Iongh, Hans H. de

doi:10.1177/1940082918799476

Cited by 26 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 51 publications

(82 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Tiger tracks (> 8 cm pad width) and scrapes (> 35 cm long and > 19 cm wide) are larger than leopard tracks (< 6.5 cm pad width) and scrape (< 25 cm long and < 15 cm wide). In a similar study in Bardia NP, using molecular identification of the carnivore, Upadhyaya et al (2018) reported high accuracy of field identification of scats (n = 101). Prey remains in the scat such as hairs, feathers, bones, hooves and teeth were separated.…”

Section: Diet Of Tigers and Leopardsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Factors associated with co-occurrence of large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We investigated the factors facilitating co-occurrence of two large carnivores, tigers (Panthera tigris) and common leopards (Panthera pardus), within a human-dominated landscape. We estimated their density and population size using camera-trap photographs and examined spatial segregation of habitats, temporal activity pattern, and diets in Chitwan National Park, Nepal. A Bayesian spatially-explicit capture-recapture model estimated densities of 3.2-4.6 (3.94 ± 0.37) tigers and 2.6-4.1 (3.31 ± 0.4) leopards per 100 km 2 with abundance of 70-102 tigers and 66-105 leopards. Tigers occupied the prime habitats (grasslands and riverine forests) in alluvial floodplains of the Park whereas leopards appeared in Sal forests and marginal areas where livestock are present. Both tigers and leopards showed crepuscular activity patterns with a high overlap but tigers were less active during the day compared to leopards. Leopards' activity in the day increased in the presence of tigers. Tiger and leopard diet overlapped considerably (90%). Compared to leopards, tigers consumed a higher proportion of the large prey and a smaller proportion of livestock. Our study demonstrates that sympatric large carnivores can coexist in high densities in prey rich areas that contain a mosaics of habitats. To increase the resilience and size of the Chitwan carnivore population, strategies are needed to increase prey biomass and prevent livestock depredation in adjacent forests. Long-term monitoring is also required to obtain a detailed understanding of the interaction between the large carnivores and their effects on local communities living in forest fringes within the landscape.

show abstract

Section: Diet Of Tigers and Leopardsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Factors associated with co-occurrence of large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Here, we classified the assemblage of these cervids as a mesofaunal deer community (Ahrestani & Sankaran, 2016). Chital is the most abundant and at the moment the primary prey species of the tiger in Bardia NP (Upadhyaya et al, 2018) with a reported density of ~50 deer.km −2 (DNPWC & DFRS, 2018). Muntjac and sambar are forest dwellers; are classified as browsers (Ahrestani & Sankaran, 2016) and are seen very rarely in the grasslands.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fire and forage quality: Postfire regrowth quality and pyric herbivory in subtropical grasslands of Nepal

Thapa

Jong

Hof

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fire is rampant throughout subtropical South and Southeast Asian grasslands.However, very little is known about the role of fire and pyric herbivory on the functioning of highly productive subtropical monsoon grasslands lying within the Cwa climatic region. We assessed the temporal effect of fire on postfire regrowth quality and associated pyric-herbivory in the subtropical monsoon grasslands of Bardia National Park, Nepal. Every year, grasslands are burned as a management intervention in the park, especially between March and May. Within a week after fire, at the end of March 2020, we established 60 m × 60 m plots within patches of burned grassland in the core area of the Park. We collected grass samples from the plots and determined physical and chemical properties of the vegetation at regular 30-day intervals from April to July 2020, starting from 30 days after fire to assess postfire regrowth forage quality. We counted pellet groups of cervids that are abundant in the area for the same four months from 2 m × 2 m quadrats that were permanently marked with pegs along the diagonal of each 60 m × 60 m plot to estimate intensity of use by deer to

show abstract

“…We found that leopards caused the majority of livestock loss around Bardia National Park, in contrast to Acharya et al (2016) who reported that leopards contributed to 21% of livestock depredation in Nepal. Signs of leopards were found primarily near the edge of the Park in Bardia (Studsrød & Wegge, 1995; Tamang & Baral, 2008; Upadhyaya et al, 2018), which has also been reported in Nepal's Chitwan National Park (Bhattarai & Kindlmann, 2012) and Macharia National Park, Pakistan (Dar et al, 2009). Livestock loss was related to the number of livestock held in the area, which is similar to findings of Tamang & Baral (2008) from Bardia, Oli et al (1994) from the Annapurna conservation area in Nepal, and Wang & Macdonald (2006) from Bhutan.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Determining the risk of predator attacks around protected areas: the case of Bardia National Park, Nepal

Upadhyaya

Musters

Lamichhane

et al. 2019

Oryx

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this study we determined the probability of predator attacks on livestock around Bardia National Park, Nepal. We conducted semi-structured interviews to explore the patterns and factors affecting livestock losses in four administrative sectors of the Park's buffer zone. We developed models to investigate the overall probability of livestock loss, economic damage caused, and the respondents’ attitudes towards wildlife. The probability of leopard attacks on livestock was much higher (85% of all livestock lost to depredation) than that of tiger attacks (8%), and the northern sector experienced the highest loss of livestock (50% modelled probability of livestock loss) in the buffer zone. Livestock loss was significantly related to the number of livestock owned by respondents, their ethnic group, and village distance to the Park boundary. Economic damage was influenced by buffer zone sector, number of livestock owned, and distance to the Park boundary. Conservation attitudes depended on respondents’ knowledge of wildlife, levels of education and self-sufficiency, and the probability of livestock being killed by leopards. Respondents who were male, highly educated and self-sufficient were most likely to support conservation. Tigers are tolerated based on religious beliefs, and these cultural values, together with the sharing of conservation benefits, facilitate conservation. Leopards, however, are not tolerated in the same way and are the most damaging predators.

show abstract

An Insight Into the Diet and Prey Preference of Tigers in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Cited by 26 publications

References 51 publications

Factors associated with co-occurrence of large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape

Factors associated with co-occurrence of large carnivores in a human-dominated landscape

Fire and forage quality: Postfire regrowth quality and pyric herbivory in subtropical grasslands of Nepal

Determining the risk of predator attacks around protected areas: the case of Bardia National Park, Nepal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About