Tigers big cats conservation Research Papers (original) (raw)

Researchers and policymakers emphasize that people's involvement in forest management can secure their support of conservation initiatives. However, the evidence on the effectiveness of top-down participation is weak. This study uses cross-sectional household data from 16 villages in the buffer zone of Pench Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) in India to contribute to the evidence base of such assumption. Using a propensity score matching to control for observable bias, we evaluate the effects of two state-driven incentive-based participatory projects, i.e. the Joint Forest Management and Ecodevelopment , on selected social outcomes. Specifically, we measured local people conservation knowledge, biodiversity attitudes as well as trust in and satisfaction with the tiger reserve management authorities. We found that the effects of participatory management on conservation knowledge were positive, but negligible. We found no significant effects on local people's biodiversity attitudes, trust and satisfaction with the tiger reserve management authorities. Top-down and externally induced participation may explain our results. Our findings clearly indicate that the effectiveness of participatory conservation interventions is conditional on the level and nature of local participation. Top-down participatory projects may not be sufficient to generate local support of conservation and in some cases, they may even exacerbate local conflicts.

- by and +2
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- Conservation Biology, Public Participation In Governance, Social Impact Assessment, Protected areas

The notification of Mudumalai Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu as a tiger reserve in 2007 has resulted in a contested politics between activists, non-governmental organisations and conservationists with regard to the future of protected area management. This paper presents an account of how these actors positioned themselves around not only the creation of the tiger reserve, but also the proposed elephant corridor and the Forest Rights Act of 2006. It suggests that due process of law has not been followed adequately and that sufficient scientific evidence has not been presented in the public domain as required. The Forest Rights Act is seen to offer an opportunity to democratise the management of natural resources with all its social and ecological complexities and provide the necessary checks and balances to bring about conservation based strongly on scientific evidence.

- by Daniel Taghioff
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- Media Studies, New Media, Indian studies, Conservation Ecology

In this technical session 9 papers by the postgraduate students (M.Sc. 4th Semester) of the Department of Anthropology, Vidyasagar University were presented which were based on their recent fieldwork experiences among the Mundas in two villages of Satjelia Island of the Sunderbans area of South 24 Parganas of West Bengal. The papers deal with the (i) demographic, (ii) socio-economic, (iii) educational, (iv) religious, (v) developmental and (vi) recreational aspects of the Mundas in Sunderbans. The introductory paper, which will also be presented by a student would give a brief overview of the glimpses of the field area which began with the journey of the students from outside Sunderbans right into the Munda villages and the world’s largest biodiversity park. There is also a paper on the methodological issues arising out of the fieldwork experiences of the students in the Munda villages.
Dr.Abhijit Guha pointed out that this kind of technical session on the INCAA platform is unique and first of its kind because of the following reasons: 1. All the papers in the session are presented by students who have not yet earned their M.Sc. degrees in Anthropology 2. All the papers in the session dealt with a single village and on a single community, viz. Mundas. The two most important commentators of this session were Professor Jagannath Dash of the Department of Anthropology, Utkal University and Professor Vinayak Srivastava, of Delhi University. Prof. Dash pointed out the various loose areas of the papers which he suggested should be tightened up for further improvement. Prof. Srivastava highly admired the effort of the students and their teacher for carrying out a team ethnography which is becoming popular now-a-days.

This is a book dedicated to the neglected topic of human evolution - the defense system of our distant ancestors. The central argument is that the evolutionary competition between the human ancestors and the ancestors of the big cats in... more

- by Joseph Jordania
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- Evolutionary Biology, Evolutionary Psychology, Human Evolution, Sex and Gender

In recent years, scholars have demonstrated that affluent societies have a
disproportionate environmental impact. A focus on wealth, however, can obscure how poverty also propels ecosystem destruction, particularly when combined – as in Singapore – with uncaring administrators, and the ruthless logic of imperialism. In this colony, poor Chinese, Malays, archipelagic South-east Asians, and Indians struggled to eke out a living by razing rainforest, because they possessed no better options. As these workers struggled to transform forests into farms, houses, and roads, they created an ecology of poverty that had catastrophic consequences for
humans and tigers alike. Finding ever less forest in which to hide from humans, the mighty cats instead began to regard some people as prey. Unable to flee, poor Chinese, Malays, archipelagic South-east Asians, and Indians sought to protect themselves by killing tigers. In the end, the humans vanquished the cats, but not without enduring hundreds of fatalities. Colonial Singapore’s environmental history reminds us that the people who carry out the work of eradicating nature often do so because they possess limited alternatives for survival. As a corollary, caring for and protecting the environment is inseparable from caring for and protecting people.

A century ago, tigers (Panthera tigris Linnaeus, 1758) were so common in parts of Southeast Asia as to be considered pests, and governments sponsored their killing. Habitat loss and fragmentation, market-driven poaching and loss of prey have since led to the disappearance of Indochinese tigers from most their former range. Despite 15 years of dedicated tiger conservation funding, national estimates of Indochinese tiger subpopulations can at best only be roughly approximated. The future for the subspecies appears grim unless very focused efforts can be applied to stabilize and recover subpopulations. On a regional scale, the 2 proposed subspecies Panthera tigris corbetti and P. tigris jacksoni are effectively managed as separate conservation units. Evaluating where to place conservation efforts should consider the vulnerability (likelihood of extinction) and irreplaceability (likelihood that an area contributes uniquely to regional conservation) of tiger subpopulations. Only 1 site in Thailand supporting <200 individuals (Huai Kha Khaeng–Thung Yai) is considered low vulnerability, and is irreplaceable. Five sites in Lao, Thailand and Peninsular Malaysia are medium vulnerability and irreplaceable. Priorities at these 6 sites are to double tiger numbers within 10 years through protection and monitoring. Seven sites in Lao, Thailand and Myanmar are high vulnerability and irreplaceable, and might be recovered if government commitment to tigers, staff capacity and legal frameworks for tiger protection are established. Tigers are extremely vulnerable or even extinct in Cambodia’s Eastern Plains and the site is irreplaceable for tigers because it represents the only large
2 (>10 000 km ) block of dry forest habitat available in the region. A reintroduction program is the only option to recover tigers there.

- by Antony J Lynam
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- Southeast Asia, Vulnerability, Tigers big cats conservation, Threats

A guide to Ranthambore National Park which will provide you the complete information about the Ranthambore tiger reserve from general info to the tourist focused info. You will know about the flora and fauna, landscape, climate and history of the Ranthambore forest park. Also, you will know how to reach Ranthambore, best time to visit Ranthambore and how to make online booking of safari in Ranthambore.

La colonisation de l’Indochine par la France au XIXe siècle amène les Européens à entrer en contact avec de nouveaux prédateurs, tigres et panthères. Sur la base des travaux des premiers naturalistes, de la littérature de voyage, des contes et légendes indochinois, les félins sont perçus comme particulièrement féroces et dangereux. Une étude à échelle provinciale des attaques de tigres sur l’homme à partir des sources administratives tend à minimiser l’importance de celles-ci. La période coloniale est cependant caractérisée par la mise en place d’une politique d’éradication des fauves et par le développement de la chasse sportive et scientifique. Celles-ci ont eu un impact notable sur la population féline.

- by Mathieu Guerin
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- Southeast Asian Studies, Environmental History, Cambodia, Wildlife Conservation

As pressure from a growing human population increases around the world, greater levels of conflict between people and wildlife over shrinking available land may be inevitable. The conversion of Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary to Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in India is a conservation initiative under "Project Tiger" scheme to facilitate greater habitat connectivity across the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. We interviewed local people in the MTR landscape to determine their interest and attitude towards resettlement and tiger conservation following MTR's new status designation. We found that non-tribal Mountain Chetties generally had negative attitude towards tiger conservation, Kurumbas were positive toward the idea, and Kattunaickers, and Irula people and other minor ethnic groups were found neutral. We found that literate respondents were less likely to collect firewood and more likely to exhibit positive attitude towards tiger conservation and the establishment of MTR. Households with higher milk production, and people with generally negative attitude towards wildlife conservation , were against the declaration of MTR. People employed in private sectors and those having negative perception towards wildlife conservation were more likely to show negative attitude towards declaration of MTR. Locals desiring resettlement post MTR declaration were literate, and interested in availing better livelihood resources. However, they usually suffered relatively high livestock loss to large carnivores, and high crop damage caused by elephant (Elephas maximus). Most respondents (74.3%) were interested in resettlement provided that basic amenities were available to them. We recommend that conservation authorities facilitate "choice-based resettlement" options, which account for local people's consent before making decisions on "re-settlement". This approach will avoid possible conflicts between forest managers and local people.

- by Anthony J Giordano
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- Carnivora, Human-wildlife conflicts, Tamil Nadu, Large Carnivores

The majority of wild Sumatran tigers are believed to live in 12 Tiger Conservation Landscapes covering approximately 88 000 km². However, the actual distribution of tigers across Sumatra has never been accurately mapped. Over the past 20 years, conservation efforts focused on the Sumatran tigers have increased, but the population continues to decline as a result of several key threats. To identify the status of the Sumatran tiger distribution across the island, an island-wide questionnaire survey comprised of 35 respondents from various backgrounds was conducted between May and June 2010. The survey found that Sumatran tigers are positively present in 27 habitat patches larger than 250 km2 and possibly present in another 2. In addition, a review on major published studies on the Sumatran tiger was conducted to identify the current conservation status of the Sumatran tiger. Collectively, these studies have identified several key factors that have contributed to the decline of Sumatran tiger populations, including: forest habitat fragmentation and loss, direct killing of tigers and their prey, and the retaliatory killing of tigers due to conflict with villagers. The present paper provides management authorities and the international community with a recent assessment and a base map of the actual distribution of Sumatran tigers as well as a general overview on the current status and possible future conservation challenges of Sumatran tiger management.

- by Wulan Pusparini
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- Large Carnivores, Tigers big cats conservation

A newsletter in Marathi with news, information and analysis on wildlife and conservation in the state of Maharashtra, India. Published by Kalpavriksh with support from the Duleep Matthai Nature Conservation Trust. Editor: Reshma Jathar;... more

- by Josie Glausiusz
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- Tiger ecology, Tigers big cats conservation

People’s urge to see and experience the environment around them has led the tourism industry to become one of the fast-growing industries all around the globe. Sunderbans Tiger Reserve has always been alluring to the tourist to experience the scenic beauty of the mangrove forest and see the Royal Bengal Tiger. Successful execution of Project Tiger for protecting this endangered species from getting extinct has put India on the international platform. The aim of the research paper is to (1) identify the contribution of conservation plan in boosting tourism, (2) conduct the strengths, weakness, opportunity and threat analysis of the study area, and (3) estimate the potential of tiger tourism in the study area. The study concludes that the conservation plans are helping in building the product image, financing the study to area which is upgrading the surroundings for tourism along with other benefits. Trend analysis result predicts a continuous rise of tourist footfall in the reserve, which suggests big potential of the reserve.

- by ananya ghosh
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- Wildlife Conservation, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation, Wildife Conservation

Conserving biodiversity in human-dominated regions of the world is complex, particularly in case of large carnivores where perceived conflicts exist with economic development, expanding human populations and livelihoods. Using a systematic ‘bottom-up’ consultative framework, based on a choice modelling approach that accounts for heterogeneity in the population, we explore alternative strategies that meet conservation and human development goals. Focusing on the Gujjars, a pastoralist community in northern India our research identifies the community's preferred government support measures to encourage coexistence with tigers. We find that direct losses from predation are secondary concerns compared to development measures despite these losses being comparable to other tiger landscapes. Further we found that almost all sampled households (283/292) preferred resettlement over any form of coexistence, with positive preferences for larger land-sizes, the immediate and permanent transfer of property rights, a government-built house and the potential to generate a living from agro-pastoralism. As resettlement would avoid conflict with tigers and lead to habitat and prey recovery, it follows that tiger conservation and human development goals could be best realized by securing vast areas of inviolate tiger habitat through community resettlement to acceptable locations away from tiger habitat. Although Gujjars in our case study prefer resettlement as the way forward, we highlight the need for a responsive policy and institutional framework that can accommodate local needs and ensure there are adequate opportunities for the creation of sustainable livelihoods within tiger habitats. More generally, we show how different outcomes for tigers and humans can be explored empirically to generate better outcomes for carnivores and people at a landscape scale.

- by Abishek Harihar and +2
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- Applied Econometrics, Discrete Choice Modeling, Large Carnivores, Coexistence (Conflict Resolution)

Wildlife managers require status and distribution information for informed decisions. Recognizing the tiger’s globally threatened status and potential as an umbrella species for protection of forested landscapes, camera trap surveys for tigers and other large mammals have been conducted since 1997 in Peninsular Malaysia with the aim of assessing the population status of tigers in the Peninsula. Results from surveys at nine sites between December 1997 and December 1999 are reported here. Tigers were confirmed from six sites in the Main Range and Greater Taman Negara landscape, with multiple locations inside putative priority tiger areas. Although the data were collected 8 years ago, they are supplemented with more recent information, including tiger-human conflict investigations during 2000–2005 that indicate tiger persistence at these sites. Tiger density estimates were 0.51–1.95 tigers per 100 km2. With results from other surveys, this suggests a national population of up to several hundred tigers. A thorough survey, with sufficient resources, should be carried out in the future to derive a more reliable tiger population estimate for Malaysia. Key threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting of prey, commercial trade in tiger parts, and harassment and displacement. Recommendations for the recovery of tigers in Peninsu- lar Malaysia are provided

- by Antony J Lynam
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- Malaysia, Conservation Status, Tigers big cats conservation, Wildlife Management

Resettlement of people for conservation is a contentious issue, but remains an important policy for conserving species like tigers which require vast, inviolate habitats. Recommendations to resettle communities should ideally be supported with careful evaluation of the needs of wildlife, socio-economic characteristics of dependent communities and their attitudes, and we present one such case study. Using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 158 households across a gradient of tiger occupancy, we found overwhelming preference for resettlement among pastoralist Gujjars and hence an unexpected conservation opportunity to expand inviolate areas for tigers in the western Terai Arc Landscape. The main ‘push factors’ identified were declining forest productivity adversely affecting incomes and lack of access to education and health facilities. Thus, our findings represent a rare instance where excessive extraction of natural resources, recognized to be detrimental for biodiversity, is also the primary driver for resettlement. The desire for resettlement was also re-enforced by losses of livestock to diseases (72.7%) and carnivores (25.1%), which was uncompensated in 89% of the cases, and positive experiences from previously resettled households. Demand for resettlement was uniformly strong regardless of local tiger occupancy, but we suggest that funding for resettlement be prioritized for households in high tiger occupancy areas, given higher livestock depredation and possibilities for conflict. Our findings, therefore, represent a novel landscape-level conservation strategy that takes account of socio-economic circumstances across a gradient of predator pressure, and could build a constituency for tiger conservation among local communities consistent with national and global objectives.

- by Abishek Harihar and +2
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- Human-wildlife conflicts, Wildlife Conservation, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation

Occupying only 7% of their historical range and confined to forested habitats interspersed in a matrix of human dominated landscapes, tigers (Panthera tigris) typify the problems faced by most large carnivores worldwide. With heads of governments of tiger range countries pledging to reverse the extinction process and setting a goal of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022, achieving this target would require identifying existing breeding cores, potential breeding habitats and opportunities for dispersal. The Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) represents one region which has recently witnessed recovery of tiger populations following conservation efforts. In this study, we develop a spatially explicit tiger occupancy model with survey data from 2009–10 based on a priori knowledge of tiger biology and specific issues plaguing the western TAL (6,979 km2), which occurs in two disjunct units (Tiger Habitat Blocks; THBs). Although the overall occupancy of tigers was 0.588 (SE 0.071), our results clearly indicate that loss in functionality of a regional corridor has resulted in tigers now occupying 17.58% of the available habitat in THB I in comparison to 88.5% in THB II. The current patterns of occupancy were best explained by models incorporating the interactive effect of habitat blocks (AIC w = 0.883) on wild prey availability (AIC w = 0.742) and anthropogenic disturbances (AIC w = 0.143). Our analysis has helped identify areas of high tiger occupancy both within and outside existing protected areas, which highlights the need for a unified control of the landscape under a single conservation unit with the primary focus of managing tigers and associated wildlife. Finally, in the light of global conservation targets and recent legislations in India, our study assumes significance as we identify opportunities to secure (e.g. THB II) and increase (e.g. THB I) tiger populations in the landscape.

- by Abishek Harihar
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- Carnivore Ecology, Population Connectivity, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation

Presence of human settlements in most protected areas has forced tigers (Panthera tigris) to share space with humans. Creation of inviolate space for tigers in areas with high human densities is often daunting and requires hard political sacrifices. We conducted this study from 2004 to 2007 in the Chilla range of Rajaji National Park, along the northwestern portion of the Terai-Arc Landscape in the Indian subcontinent. Our objective was to document the recovery of prey and tiger populations following the resettlement of 193 gujjar (pastoralists with large buffalo holdings) families. We used distance sampling to estimate density of wild ungulate prey and camera traps to estimate tiger density. The study area supported ∼66 ungulates/km2, with chital (Axis axis) and sambar (Cervus unicolor) contributing >91%. While prey densities did not vary across 3 years, an increase in proportion of chital fawns was observed following the near complete removal of livestock. We also documented an increase in the density (D^) of tigers (from three to five tigers per 100 km2), probably due to immigrating tigers from nearby Corbett Tiger Reserve. A high turnover of individual tigers was observed during the study. With photographic evidence of breeding tigers in Chilla range, we believe that this area could serve as a source population from where tigers can colonize adjoining forests across River Ganga. It is therefore concluded that securing the connectivity between forests on the east and west bank of Ganga through the tenuous Chilla-Motichur corridor assumes significance for long-term persistence of tigers within this landscape.

- by Abishek Harihar
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- Wildlife Conservation, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation, Ungulates

A century ago, tigers were considered pests in Myanmar. Hunters claimed thousands, yet populations persisted. In the past century, because of habitat loss and prey depletion, coupled with the recent demand for traditional medicines, tiger populations have been reduced to a few hundred individuals. As a first step toward long-term planning for tigers, and to guide efforts to increase protected area coverage, the Myanmar government in 1998 initiated a project to develop a revised National Tiger Action Plan. Extensive surveys confirmed tigers in only 4 of 17 survey locations. Significant populations are thought to persist in the far North and far South of the country, where large, intact forests offer the potential for tiger recovery. With partnerships and collaborations, tiger populations can be protected in the short term (<5 years) by expanding protected areas and corridors, mobilizing enforcement staff to reduce poaching of tigers and prey, and amending existing wildlife legislation in accordance with international laws. Over the long term (5–20 years), recovery of Myanmar's tiger populations will depend on in- creasing support from local people, zoning tiger areas to reduce habitat loss and disturbance, and maintaining connectivity of existing national and transboundary forests. This article reviews the development of a new National Tiger Action Plan for the Union of Myanmar and discusses a blueprint for conservation measures aimed at saving tigers from extinction.

- by Antony J Lynam
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- Myanmar, Tigers big cats conservation, Wildlife Management

The United Nations recently listed illegal wildlife trade as a serious crime because of the escalating demand for highly prized species, such as tiger and rhinoceros, and the failure to effectively control the trade. In turn, this places greater urgency on reducing supply by securing source populations of these species. Yet, whether law enforcement strategies designed to mitigate poaching are succeeding remains poorly understood, despite the millions of dollars invested annually in this mainstay conservation strategy.
Here, we assess the performance of one of Asia's longest running law enforcement programmes, from Kerinci Seblat National Park in Sumatra, by investigating whether forest ranger patrols reduced the occurrence of snare traps set for tiger and its ungulate prey base; local informant reports on poaching influenced ranger patrol success; and the resulting population trends of target species changed in response to these conservation actions.
A total of 4433 snare traps were removed during 642 foot patrols conducted from 2000 to 2010. Controlling for the influence of varying detection probabilities, as well as accessibility and other possible determinants of illegal hunting, revealed that sites with a greater frequency of patrols, rather than the combined distance walked, had a lower occurrence of snare traps in succeeding years.
Patrols conducted on the basis of local informant ‘tip-offs’ were significantly more likely to detect snare traps than routine patrols, with reports increasing detections by over 40%.
There were no significant changes in the occupancy status of the tiger prey base from 2004 to 2011, suggesting that it remained stable during this period. The relatively good condition of prey and predator populations in Kerinci Seblat National Park was further supported by the results of an independent survey conducted in 2008–2009 which revealed a widespread tiger occurrence.
Synthesis and applications. Our results not only demonstrate the effectiveness of the Kerinci Seblat law enforcement strategy in protecting wildlife, but highlight the benefits from cultivating a network of reliable informants. The study also represents a critical step in helping these urgently needed conservation assessments to become common place in the fight to save flagship species.

- by Abishek Harihar and +2
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- Monitoring And Evaluation, Law Enforcement, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation
- by Abishek Harihar and +1
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- Large Carnivores, Tiger, Tigers big cats conservation, Terai Arc Landscape

The killing of Avni, a conﬂ ict tigress in Yavatmal, Maharashtra, who was thought to have killed several people, led to a huge controversy. The issue raises questions on the drivers of human–wildlife conﬂ ict, the destiny of tigers in a... more

- by Neha Sinha
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- Conservation Biology, Political Ecology, Ecology, Human-wildlife conflicts

Aim Setting realistic population targets and identifying actions for site and landscape-level recovery plans are critical for achieving the global target of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022. Here, we estimate the spatially explicit densities of wild ungulate prey across a gradient of disturbances in two disjunct
tiger habitat blocks (THBs) covering 5212 km2, to evaluate landscape-wide conditions for tigers and identify opportunities and specific actions for recovery.

- by Douglas C MacMillan and +1
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- Conservation Biology, Wildlife Conservation, Biodiversity Conservation, Tigers big cats conservation

Drawing on work in feminist political ecologies and employing a grounded theory approach, this article examines the socio-spatial links between the patriarchal tradition of dowry, tigers, and women's well-being. It shows how a landscape governed for conservation purposes can produce embodied and material harm for women living under a patriarchal system. Focus groups conducted in eastern Rajasthan, India, reveal how human-tiger interaction, even if primarily potential rather than actual, initiates a chain of social impacts that presents severe risks to women's well-being, mental health, and life itself. Analysis connecting the pressures of dowry (financial, physical, and psychological) to tiger presence helps expose the presumptions of unfairness, intra-household power dynamics, and hidden costs of human-wildlife cohabitation while supporting calls for the inclusion of women's perspectives in environmental theory and management.

Information on density and abundance of globally threatened species such as tigers Panthera tigris is essential for effective conservation as well as to evaluate the success of conservation programmes. We monitored tigers in Parsa Widlife Reserve, Nepal, using camera traps, in 2013, 2014 and 2016. Once believed to be a sink for tigers from adjacent Chitwan National Park, Parsa now provides a new hope for tigers. Spatially explicit capture–recapture analysis over 3 survey years revealed an increase in tiger density from 0.78 to 1.38 individuals per 100 km2 from 2013 to 2016. The tiger abundance was estimated to be seven (6–13), 11 (10–16) and 17 (17–20) in 2013, 2014 and 2016, respectively. Resettlement of communities from the core area, reduced anthropogenic pressure, and improved security have made Parsa Wildlife Reserve a suitable habitat for tigers. Tiger abundance increased considerably within a 5 km radius of the evacuated village sites, from two in 2013 to eight in 2014 and 10 in 2016. Population turnover has remained moderate (< 30% per year), with persistence of individuals in multiple years. Dispersing tigers from Chitwan's source population accounted for a large portion (c. 40%) of the tigers detected in Parsa. Conservation efforts along with annual monitoring should be continued in Parsa to sustain the increase and monitor the persistence of tigers. The Chitwan–Parsa complex should be managed as a single ecological unit for conserving the Endangered tiger and other wide-ranging species.

- by Babu R Lamichhane and +2
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- Conservation Biology, Conservation, Nepal, Wildlife Conservation

The ecology of large, wide-ranging carnivores appears to make them vulnerable to conservation challenges in the wild and welfare challenges in captivity. This poses an ethical dilemma for the zoo community and supports the case that there is a need to reconsider prevailing management paradigms for these species in captivity. Whilst the welfare challenges wide ranging carnivores face have been attributed to reduced ranging opportunities associated with the decreased size of captive habitats, attempts to augment wild carnivore welfare in captivity typically focus on behaviours linked to hunting. Thus far, this has yet to result in the systematic elimination of signs of compromised welfare amongst captive carnivores. Here an assessment is carried out to identify the likely welfare priorities for Amur tigers, which, as one of the widest ranging terrestrial carnivores, serves as an excellent exemplar for species experiencing extreme compression of their ranging opportunities in captivity. These priorities are then used to consider novel strategies to address the welfare challenges associated with existing management paradigms, and in particular, attempt to overcome the issue of restricted space. The insights generated here have wider implications for other species experiencing substantive habitat compression in captivity. It is proposed here that the impact of habitat compression on captive carnivore welfare may not be a consequence of the reduction in habitat size per se, but rather the reduction in cognitive opportunities that likely covary with size, and that this should inform strategies to augment welfare.

- by Jake S Veasey
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- Ethics, Animal Behavior, Animal Welfare, Tigers big cats conservation

Resettlement of people for conservation is a contentious issue, but remains an important policy for conserving species like tigers which require vast, inviolate habitats. Recommendations to resettle communities should ideally be supported with careful evaluation of the needs of wildlife, socio-economic
characteristics of dependent communities and their attitudes, and we present one such case study. Using a semi-structured questionnaire survey of 158 households across a gradient of tiger occupancy, we found overwhelming preference for resettlement among pastoralist Gujjars and hence an unexpected conservation opportunity to expand inviolate areas for tigers in the western Terai Arc Landscape. The main ‘push factors’ identified were declining forest productivity adversely affecting incomes and lack of access to education and health facilities. Thus, our findings represent a rare instance where excessive extraction of natural resources, recognized to be detrimental for biodiversity, is also the primary driver for resettlement. The desire for resettlement was also re-enforced by losses of livestock to diseases (72.7%) and carnivores (25.1%), which was uncompensated in 89% of the cases, and positive experiences from previously resettled households. Demand for resettlement was uniformly strong regardless of local tiger occupancy, but we suggest that funding for resettlement be prioritized for households in high tiger occupancy areas, given higher livestock depredation and possibilities for conflict. Our findings, therefore, represent a novel landscape-level conservation strategy that takes account of socio-economic circumstances across a gradient of predator pressure, and could build a constituency for tiger conservation among local communities consistent with national and global objectives.

- by Douglas C MacMillan and +1
- •
- Conservation planning, Socio-economics of biodiversity, Tigers big cats conservation, Socio-Ecological Systems

My research looks at the meaning tiger extinction holds for forest-dwelling communities (both forest-dependent and partially-forest dependent communities) experiencing regular cattle depredation in Sariska tiger reserve, where tigers went locally extinct in 2004 and were re-introduced in 2008. I investigated the meaning of tiger extinction for villagers; and if the tiger was a 'conflict' animal.

- by Neha Sinha
- •
- Tiger ecology, Tigers big cats conservation

The Uttarakhand government has decided to keep the Jim Corbett National Park and the Rajaji Tiger Reserve open all year round to boost the tourism sector in the state. However, whether the decision would affect the rights of animals or not has not been considered by any official. This has raised a novel question that whether the time has come to grant the right to privacy and right to be let alone to animals? This right has not been recognized anywhere in any Constitution or any law in the world. Further, there is even no international agreement or convention that ensures the welfare and protection of animals. They only regulate the right of humans to exploit natural resources. They do not grant any right to animal species.

- by Ravi Chhikara
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- Law, Constitutional Law, India, Animals

The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) and Toxoplasma gondii in the captive tigers of a wildlife facility in the Philippines. Nine of the ten captive tigers (Panthera tigris) in the facility were used: six were adults and 3 were juvenile. Furthermore, five of these nine animals were males and four were females. There have been no reports of disease outbreaks and all the animals were apparently healthy during the time of the study as the mean (±SD) hematologic values were within the normal range. Of the nine samples, 33% (3/9) were exposed to T. gondii but none of the animals had evidence of exposure to either FIV or FeLV. Control of stray domestic short haired cats within the wildlife facility should be maintained to control disease spread and maintain the health of the captive animals.

- by Edward Narayan
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- Conservation Biology, Biodiversity, Tigers big cats conservation, Big Cats

No, no es un resultado de la primera liga mexicana de fútbol. Se trata de saber cómo va, por ahora, la disputa de estos dos grandes felinos por sobrevivir en canchas terrícolas. Ambas especies han sufrido y sufren los embistes de la humanidad de forma parecida. Sin embargo, existe una indiscutible amenaza común: China. Es sabida la gran demanda de colmillos, dientes, pieles y de otras partes de estos dos depredadores por ciudadanos chinos y del sureste asiático para fines supuestamente medicinales y afrodisiacos. Esta situación promueve el comercio ilegal de especies de flora y fauna silvestre y tendría como consecuencia una erosión en la diversidad biológica 1 en los territorios donde estos mamíferos son cazados al margen de la ley. Veamos cómo así el tigre llevaría la delantera en la lucha por salir airoso. El tigre (Panthera tigris) y el jaguar (Panthera onca) son especies representativas de dos continentes en el planeta: Asía y América respectivamente. El tigre compite con el (rey) león (Panthera leo) en el colectivo mundial en cuanto a popularidad; mientras que, en el continente americano, el puma (Puma puma) le hace la competencia al jaguar también en lo referido al estrellato. Pese a estas "disputas" triviales, ambos protagonistas libran una batalla terrenal para sobrevivir. Su futuro es algo sombrío. En el caso del tigre, hay buenas noticias, por lo que le llevaría una ligera (y relativa) ventaja al jaguar. Veamos por qué. En India, el número de individuos de tigre ha subido este año a 3000. El Primer Ministro Indio, Narendra Mondi, indicó hace poco que esta cifra es un "éxito histórico". Ya en el 2018, se había registrado la presencia de 2967 individuos; y hace 15 años se contabilizó tan solo 1400 ejemplares de tigres. Para esto, en los años setenta del siglo pasado, el gobierno hindú puso en marcha una serie de programas de conservación destinados a salvaguardar esta y otras especies que han tenido, como se ve, buenos resultados. Y es que, pese a que en el 2004 se había registrado 2226 tigres, esta cifra disminuyó, pero como se ve, se ha vuelto a recuperar. Hoy, India puede jactarse de ser uno de los países que ofrece hábitats extensos y seguros para el tigre y otros grandes animales amenazados. Se sabe también que no existirían más de 4000 tigres en estado silvestre en el mundo; y que todos ellos están dispersos en diversos hábitats que van desde Siberia hasta la isla Sumatra en Indonesia. Ambos puntos geográficos están separados por más de 10 000 kilómetros. El tigre saca ventaja El país asiático sería el último paraíso de salvación para los tigres. Actualmente, alberga las tres cuartas partes de la población mundial de este gran felino. Desde Nueva Delhi 2 y en el Día Internacional del Tigre-que se celebra el 29 de julio 3-, según Modi, "el resultado del último censo del tigre debería alegrar a cada hindú y a los amantes de la naturaleza". Y 1 Se habla incluso de la "desfaunización" de los bosques y de otros ecosistemas. 2 http://www.pib.nic.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1580611 3 Esta celebración se da desde el año 2010 y se festeja a lo grande en países como India, China, Bután y otros. Su objetivo es llamar la atención sobre el crítico estado de amenaza de este gran felino. ¿Y el Día Internacional del Jaguar?

- by Enrique Angulo Pratolongo
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- Conservation Biology, Biology, Felinos, Biologia

There is a little understanding of how apex carnivores partition their diet to coexist. We studied food habit and trophic niche overlap of two apex carnivores, tiger and leopard in the tropical forest of Similipal tiger reserve, eastern India. We used line transect and scat analysis method, to estimate the prey availability and determine the diet and prey selection of two apex carnivores. Tigers consumed mostly large and medium-sized prey, whereas leopards mostly consumed medium and small-sized prey. Both carnivores were not random in their consumption of prey, sambar and wild pigs were selectively consumed by tigers, whereas leopards selectively consumed wild pigs, barking deer and mouse deer. Dietary overlap between two carnivore species was moderate (Pianka's niche overlap index: 0.55), and trophic niche breadth (Levin's standardized niche breadth) of the leopard (0.52) was greater than that of the tiger (0.37). Overall, tigers exhibited specialized feeding habits, whereas leopards showed generalist feeding habits. Our study highlights the opportunistic nature of leopards and probably a reason for the species successfully coexist with tigers.

- by Himanshu Shekhar Palei
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- Tropical Ecology, Carnivore Ecology, Large Carnivores, Tiger ecology

- by Ashok Ram
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- Zoology, Conservation Biology, Conservation, Ecology

- by Santosh Bhattarai
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- Zoology, Conservation Biology, Conservation, Ecology
- by Lizelle Piater
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- Microbiology, Genomics, Plant Biology, Metabolomics

As part of a national strategy for recovering tiger populations, the Myanmar Government recently pro- posed its first and the world’s largest tiger reserve in the Hukaung Valley, Kachin State. During November 2002–June 2004, camera-traps were used to record tigers, identify individuals, and, using capture–recapture approa- ches, estimate density in the reserve. Despite extensive (203 trap locations, 275–558 km2 sample plots) and intensive ([4,500 trap nights, 9 months of sampling) survey efforts, only 12 independent detections of six individual tigers were made across three study sites. Due to the sparse data, esti- mates of tiger abundance generated by Program CAPTURE could not be made for all survey sites. Other approaches to estimating density, based on numbers of tigers caught, or derived from borrowed estimates of detection probability, offer an alternative to capture–recapture analysis. Tiger densities fall in the range of 0.2–2.2 tigers/100 km2, with 7– 71 tigers inside a 3,250 km2 area of prime tiger habitat, where efforts to protect tigers are currently focused. Tiger numbers might be stabilized if strict measures are taken to protect tigers and their prey from seasonal hunting and to suppress illegal trade in wildlife. Efforts to monitor abun- dance trends in the tiger population will be expensive given the difficulty with which tiger data can be obtained and the lack of available surrogate indices of tiger density. Moni- toring occupancy patterns, the subject of a separate ongoing study, may be more efficient.

- by Antony J Lynam
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- Myanmar, Tigers big cats conservation, Population Density, Camera Traps
- by Annu Jalais
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- Anthropology, Tigers big cats conservation, West Bengal, Sundarbans

- by Maheshwar Dhakal
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- Zoology, Conservation Biology, Conservation, Ecology

The talk depicts the objectives of and history of tiger conservation in India with progress in declaring tiger reserves; growth and then stagnation / declining trend of tiger population during 1973-2004; the success story of Similipal Tiger Reserve; the lessons learnt; the evaluation reports; and the concern for north-south changing occupancy of tiger in Similipal in 1989-2002.
The talk concludes that tiger will never be extinct because of tiger reserves and advances in biotechnological research.

Interview excerpts profile Belinda Wright, Director of Wildlife Protection Society of India, in conversation with 2014-15 US-India Fulbright Scholar Julie West about the illegal wildlife trade in India, and WPSI strategies for engaging... more

Observing wild animals in zoos is a refreshing break from everyday monotony for most of us. For the zoo animals, on the other hand, it’s a stressful life. Animals in zoos show certain specific behaviours not seen in their wild counterparts: elephants sway their heads from side to side, chimps rock back and forth, bears bite their feet, giraffes lick walls, and leopards pace in their cages, to name a few. Known as ‘stereotypy’, these behaviours are coping responses commonly observed in captive wild animals.

- by Janice Vaz
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- Wildlife Biology, Stress physiology, Animal Behaviour, Zoo Biology
- by Saw Htoo Tha Po and +1
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- Ecology, Population ecology, Myanmar, Seasonality