Tiger and leopard co-occurrence: intraguild interactions in response to human and livestock disturbance

Dhole pack size variation: Assessing the effect of Prey availability and Apex predator

“…Across a wide range of taxa from oceanic (Baum & Worm, 2009) to terrestrial ecosystems, competitively inferior predators differ in abundance, distribution, and behavior as a response to apex predator density and distribution (Newsome et.al., 2017 , 2015). Similarly, from the sympatric guild of tiger, leopard, and dhole, various scientific studies depict a significant decline in leopard populations along with the shift in their diet and spatial displacement to fringe areas, after the population recovery of tigers (Harihar et al, 2011;Kafley et al, 2019;Mondal et al, 2012;Steinmetz et al, 2013). Our study also revealed an inverse relationship between the density of tiger and group size of dhole while accounting for variability in resources and habitat heterogeneity.…”

Inferring patterns of sympatry among large carnivores in Manas National Park – a prey‐rich habitat influenced by anthropogenic disturbances

“…For instance, at Kaziranga in India, the lack of escape cover during interspecific interactions of leopards with tigers in the alluvial grasslands is thought to be a factor resulting in spatial displacement (Karanth & Nichols, 1998). In Nepal, habitat heterogeneity appears to promote co‐existence at some sites, while intensive interspecific competition has led to leopards avoiding resource‐rich habitats around two protected areas (Odden et al ., 2010; Lovari et al ., 2015; Kafley et al ., 2019; Lamichhane et al ., 2019). Similarly, at Rajaji National Park in India, the recovery of tigers in the initial years led to leopards being competitively excluded from the protected area into sub‐optimal habitats on the edges of the park resulting in heightened depredation of livestock (Harihar et al ., 2011).…”

“…In prey‐rich habitats, studies suggest that differential prey selection in terms of species, body‐size and age–sex classes facilitate sympatry (Karanth & Sunquist, 1995; Andheria et al ., 2007). However, in some cases, behavioural adaptations or even competitive spatial displacement have been documented indicating that regional ecological settings could play a critical role in shaping carnivore assemblages (Karanth & Nichols, 1998; Odden et al ., 2010; Harihar et al ., 2011; Lovari et al ., 2015; Karanth et al ., 2017; Kafley et al ., 2019; Lamichhane et al ., 2019). In human‐altered habitats, carnivore assemblages may be directly affected through the local extirpation of species (e.g.…”

Leopard (Panthera pardus) occupancy in the Chure range of Nepal

“…The tiger populations in Nepal have almost doubled since 2010 through tiger‐focused conservation activities in and around the tiger bearing PAs (DNPWC & DFSC, 2018 ; Thapa et al., 2017 ). Thus, the increasing number of tigers may have pushed leopards to marginal habitats with some resource overlapping (Kafley et al., 2019 ; Lamichhane, Leirs, et al., 2019 ). A large part of the Chure range falls outside the PAs.…”