Ecological preferences of large carnivores in remote, high-altitude protected areas: insights from Buxa Tiger Reserve, India

Abstract

Difficult terrain and inclement weather limit our knowledge of large predators, such as the tiger Panthera tigris, in the Himalayas. A lack of empirical data on large carnivores can lead to mismanagement of protected areas and population declines. We used non-invasive genetic and remote sensing data to inform the management of such high-altitude protected areas. We used the tiger as a focal species to investigate prey preference and habitat suitability in India's Buxa Tiger Reserve, which encompasses several eco-geographical regions in the Himalayan and subtropical zones. During -,  faecal samples were collected, of which  were confirmed, using genetic analysis, to be of tiger origin. Fourteen prey species/groups were identified in  tiger faecal samples, largely dominated by goats Capra spp. (.%), rhesus macaques Macaca mulatta (.%) and cattle Bos spp. (.%). Considering only the wild prey species for which survey data are available, however, and frequency of occurrence of prey in faecal samples, hog deer Axis porcinus, sambar deer Rusa unicolor and spotted deer Axis axis were the most preferred prey species. Using faecal sample locations to examine the relationship between tiger presence and environmental features indicated that the niche for tigers is narrower than the available protected area: c. % of core protected area is suitable, of which only % is highly suitable for tigers. Tigers prefer dense vegetation, open forests, riverine vegetation and areas close to water sources. Faecal sample-based studies have the potential to generate data that can help us understand the ecology of elusive carnivore species inhabiting high-altitude landscapes.

Panthera tigris: range and population collapse in Northern West Bengal, India

“…Based on genetic analysis of 372 confirmed faecal samples of tiger (collected during 2010-2013), the tiger habitats in BTR were classified approximately 62% of as suitable (21% moderately suitable, 23% suitable and only 17% highly suitable), but no data regarding the population in the sample locations were generated. 13 In its analysis of scat samples sent by the forest department in 2013, the Wildlife Institute of India found signs of three tigers only. Whereas Aaranyak (Assam) found 14 tigers and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (Hyderabad) found 15 tigers by genetically analysing samples of scat (or faeces) they had gathered in 2010, during the next year the former organization found 19 and the latter found 20 tigers.…”

Factors influencing survival of tiger and leopard in the high-altitude ecosystem of the Nilgiris, India

“…Tiger research in the Nilgiris focused mainly on the surrounding lower elevations like Mudumalai (Ramakrishnan et al 1999), Silent Valley (Balakrishnan 1984), and Bandipur (Johnsingh 1992). The recent identification of tiger habitat in the sub-Himalayan region increased attention towards high-altitude conservation units, but is more prioritized in the northeast (Sarkar et al 2018). The entire stretch of the Western Ghats shows a 32% increase in tiger population in ten years (Jhala et al 2020).…”

What drives prey selection? Assessment of tiger food habits across the Terai-Arc landscape, India

“…R-square value (0=low to 1=high) was used to detect collinearity. The test was performed in R platform using package lattice (Sarkar 2018).…”