When pork is not on the menu: Assessing trophic competition between large carnivores and poachers

Ghoddousi, Arash; Soofi, Mahmood; Hamidi, Amirhossein Kh.; Lumetsberger, Tanja; Egli, Lukas; Ashayeri, Sheyda; Khorozyan, Igor; Kiabi, Bahram H.; Waltert, Matthias

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2017.02.032

Cited by 28 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…Ghouddousi et al . [ 85 ] concluded high consumption of wild pig by leopard in GNP was not due to a preference for wild pig, but rather due to the high numbers of that prey species on their study site, and the same was likely true in our study (see below).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

“…Most previous studies showed that wild pig was avoided by leopard, and consequently wild pig typically comprised only minor parts of leopard diet, presumably because wild pig is relatively large and dangerous prey for leopard [ 2 , 45 , 84 ]. Only leopard in Golestan National Park (GNP), Iran, was shown to consume higher amounts of wild pig than in our study [ 85 ]. Ghouddousi et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

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An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia

Rostro‐García

Kamler

Crouthers³

et al. 2018

R. Soc. open sci.

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We studied the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia, in one of the few potentially remaining viable populations in Southeast Asia. The aims were to determine the: (i) current leopard density in Srepok Wildlife Sanctuary (SWS) and (ii) diet, prey selection and predation impact of leopard in SWS. The density, estimated using spatially explicit capture–recapture models, was 1.0 leopard/100 km2, 72% lower than an estimate from 2009 at the same site, and one of the lowest densities ever reported in Asia. Dietary analysis of 73 DNA confirmed scats showed leopard consumed 13 prey species, although ungulates comprised 87% of the biomass consumed (BC). The overall main prey (42% BC) was banteng (Bos javanicus), making this the only known leopard population whose main prey had adult weight greater than 500 kg. Consumption of wild pig (Sus scrofa) was also one of the highest ever reported (22% BC), indicating leopard consistently predated on ungulates with some of the largest adult weights in SWS. There were important differences in diet and prey selection between sexes, as males consumed mostly banteng (62% BC) in proportion to availability, but few muntjac (Muntiacus vaginalis; 7% BC), whereas females selectively consumed muntjac (56% BC) and avoided banteng (less than 1% BC). Predation impact was low (0.5–3.2% of populations) for the three ungulate species consumed. We conclude that the Indochinese leopard is an important apex predator in SWS, but this unique population is declining at an alarming rate and will soon be eradicated unless effective protection is provided.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 76%

An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia

Rostro‐García

Kamler

Crouthers³

et al. 2018

R. Soc. open sci.

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“…We categorized cattle age as adult (>2 years) and juvenile (<2 years) and recorded cattle coloration as black, black‐and‐white, red, red‐and‐white, yellow‐and‐white, and gray. We considered black and black‐and‐white coloration as “exotic” because it does not occur in leopard main prey in the Hyrcanian forest, which are the wild boar ( Sus scrofa ), bezoar goat ( Capra aegagrus ), Caspian red deer ( Cervus elaphus maral ), and roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ) (Ghoddousi et al., , ; Soofi et al., ). In contrast, we considered red, red‐and‐white, yellow‐and‐white, and gray coloration as “natural” because it resembled closely the coloration of leopard main prey in the Hyrcanian forest and Iran in general.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This study is novel in terms of research findings and practical applications, in Iran and beyond. Also, this study is timely and important because Iran is the stronghold country for the globally endangered leopard subspecies in the Middle East, the Persian leopard ( Panthera pardus saxicolor ) (Figure ; Ebrahimi, Farashi, & Rashki, ; Khorozyan, ), the Hyrcanian forest represents the most continuous and most suitable habitat for leopard (Ebrahimi et al., ; Farashi & Shariati, ; Farashi, Shariati, & Hosseini, ), and retaliatory anthropogenic mortality from depredation is among the main threats to leopard survival in Iran and the region (Ghoddousi et al., ; Soofi et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human–leopard conflict

Khorozyan

Ghoddousi²,

Soufi

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

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Addressing widespread livestock losses to carnivores requires information on which livestock categories are preferentially selected. We analyzed an individual‐based database of cattle grazing in forest (n = 932) and having been killed (n = 70) by leopards (Panthera pardus) in the Hyrcanian forest, Iran. We calculated Jacobs’ selectivity index for cattle age, sex, and coloration across four scales: the study area as a whole, three sites, nine villages, and 60 cattle owners. Naturally colored cattle were significantly preferred by leopards at all scales in comparison with black and black‐and‐white cattle, and there was also a preference for males and juveniles at the study area level. More research is needed to see whether cattle losses would decrease if the share of naturally colored individuals in local holdings was reduced and males and juveniles had limited access to forest. We conclude that phenotypic and biologic characteristics of livestock can affect depredation and appeal for more research in this direction, particularly within the predator–prey framework.

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“…The small remaining deer populations are now limited to the less disturbed sites, where, consequently, herbivory pressure has been increasing. In contrast, wild boar numbers have been increasing at the same time across a wide variety of habitats due to religious restrictions on eating wild boar meat (37), thus increasing the animal's encounter rate with a wider range of plants. This corroborates a previous study (31) reporting more species dispersed by wild boar than by roe deer.…”

Section: Seedlings Abundance and Species Richnessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Endozoochorous dispersal by herbivores and omnivores is mediated by germination conditions

Karimi

Hemami

Tarkesh

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background: Vertebrate-mediated seed dispersal is probably the main long distance dispersal mode. Through endozoochory, large mammals act as mobile links between habitats within and among forest patches. Along with other factors, their feeding regimes do affect their contribution as dispersal vectors. We conducted a cross-species comparative experiment involving two herbivores, red deer and roe deer; and two opportunistic omnivores, wild boar and brown bear, all occurring in the forest and steppe-forest ecotone habitats of the south-eastern Caspian region. We compared their role as endozoochorous seed dispersal agents by monitoring seedling emergence in their dungs under greenhouse and natural conditions. Results: In total, 3078 seedlings, corresponding to 136 plant taxa sprouted from 445 paired dung sub-samples, under greenhouse and natural conditions. Only 336 seedlings, corresponding to 36 plant taxa, emerged under natural conditions, among which five taxa did not appear under greenhouse conditions. Graminoids and forbs composed 91% of the seedlings in the greenhouse whereas shrubs were more abundant under natural conditions, representing 55% of the emerged seedlings. Under greenhouse conditions, first red deer and then wild boar dispersed more species than the other two mammals, while under natural conditions brown bear was the most effective vector. We observed remarkably higher species richness and seedling abundance per dung sub-sample under buffered greenhouse conditions than we did under natural conditions. Conclusions: The four sympatric mammals studied provided different seed dispersal services, both in terms of seedling abundance and species richness and may therefore be regarded as complementary. Our results highlight a positive bias when only considering germination under buffered greenhouse conditions. This must be taken into account when planning management options to benefit plant biodiversity based on the dispersal services concluded from greenhouse experiments.

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When pork is not on the menu: Assessing trophic competition between large carnivores and poachers

Cited by 28 publications

References 49 publications

An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia

An adaptable but threatened big cat: density, diet and prey selection of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in eastern Cambodia

Cattle selectivity by leopards suggests ways to mitigate human–leopard conflict

Endozoochorous dispersal by herbivores and omnivores is mediated by germination conditions

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