Activity patterns of leopards (Panthera pardus) and temporal overlap with their prey in an arid depredation hotspot of southern Africa

Puls, Sam; Teichman, Kristine J.; Jansen, Corlé; O’Riain, M. Justin; Cristescu, Bogdan

doi:10.1016/j.jaridenv.2020.104430

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…In winter, livestock are kept together with restricted movement in the corrals with low walls to prevent cold weather, increasing vulnerability and thus increasing predation chances [19,60]. In addition, leopards, as a nocturnal predator, get plenty of time for attack during winter, when nights are longer and livestock are unattended [57], resting or less vigilant [61]. Thus, we can observe higher kills per incident.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Livestock Predation by Leopards in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Dhakal

Rimal²,

Paudel

et al. 2023

Land

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Human–wildlife conflict is a challenging issue that requires the attention of conservationists worldwide. Habitat fragmentation and encroachment reduce the abundance of prey species, and an increase in the number of predators leads to a higher risk of conflict with large cats such as leopards, jeopardizing conservation efforts. This study explored the spatio-temporal pattern of the human–leopard conflict in Bardia National Park, Nepal, from 2000 to 2020. To analyze the conflict with leopards, we used data (compensation cases filed in the park) from the buffer zone management office, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), and the Department of National Park and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC). Leopard attacks on livestock are increasing exponentially, with 3335 livestock killed in 2652 attacks occurring during the study period. Although livestock depredation by leopards occurred all over the park, the southern cluster has most documented livestock damage (64.01%). The eastern and northern clusters reported fluctuating and dispersed predation events, respectively. Our spatial analysis indicated no effect of topography (slope) on livestock depredation by leopards. We recorded the highest number of leopard attacks and predation during the dry winter season when the nights are longer and livestock remain in their sheds. This carnivore mostly limited its prey to small-sized livestock (95.77%) such as goats, sheep, and pigs, whereas attacks on large-sized (cow and buffalo) livestock were least frequent. Among small-sized livestock, goats are the most predated (66.92%), followed by pigs (20.30%), in all seasons. The escalating human–leopard conflict in BNP is thus a severe threat to conservation efforts as the park has already invested a substantial amount of money (approx. USD 80,000) compensating for livestock lost in leopard attacks over the last two decades. Improving habitat conditions to reduce competition inside the park, developing an insurance scheme for livestock and humans, providing support for upgraded sheds, and the development of practical and feasible strategies that focus on specific animals and clusters of the national park are needed to reduce conflicts to maintain the co-existence between wildlife and human beings.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Livestock Predation by Leopards in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Dhakal

Rimal²,

Paudel

et al. 2023

Land

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“…In contrast to the low numbers of wild prey recorded, the camera-trap survey recorded livestock at > 80% of the camera stations and in all 14 surveys. The wealth of livestock as potential prey is likely to be supporting the relatively large predator guild (see Supplementary Figs 3–11 for mapping of independent species records; Puls et al, 2021); however, livestock predation will probably result in shooting, poisoning or trapping of predators by herders in attempts to decrease livestock losses. Retaliatory killing of leopards (Islam et al, 2018) is a threat that would need to be addressed if leopards are to survive in this landscape.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Searching for spots: a comprehensive survey for the Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr in Saudi Arabia

Dunford,

Faure,

Ross

et al. 2023

Oryx

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The Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr is categorized as Critically Endangered, with < 200 individuals estimated to remain in the wild. Historically the species ranged over an extensive area of western Saudi Arabia but, with no confirmed sightings since 2014, investigating potential continued presence and distribution is of critical conservation importance. We present the results of a comprehensive survey designed to detect any remaining Arabian leopard populations in Saudi Arabia. We conducted 14 surveys, deploying 586 camera-trap stations at 13 sites, totalling 82,075 trap-nights. Questionnaire surveys were conducted with 843 members of local communities across the Arabian leopard's historical range to assess the presence of leopards, other predators and prey species. Predator scats were collected ad hoc by field teams and we used mitochondrial DNA analysis to identify the originating species. We obtained 62,948 independent photographs of animals and people, but none were of Arabian leopards. Other carnivores appeared widespread and domestic animals were numerous, but wild prey were comparatively scarce. Three questionnaire respondents reported sightings of leopards within the previous year, but targeted camera-trap surveys in these areas did not yield evidence of leopards. Of the 143 scats sent for analysis, no DNA was conclusively identified as that of the leopard. From this extensive study, we conclude there are probably no surviving, sustainable populations of Arabian leopards in Saudi Arabia. Individual leopards might be present but were not confirmed. Any future Arabian leopard conservation in Saudi Arabia will probably require reintroduction of captive-bred leopards.

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“…However, livestock disturbance could also aggravate temporal differentiation between leopard cats and diurnal squirrels, as revealed by their temporal overlap that reduced by almost 30% in the higher grazing sites. Puls et al [ 59 ] found that goats ( Capra hircus ) comprised the highest biomass in the diet of leopards despite the fact they had the lowest temporal overlap. Therefore, caution must be applied when interpreting the current results, as only the broad activity patterns of the target species were included and site-scale temporal partitioning mechanisms used by prey and their predators under livestock disturbance were not addressed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-Scale Interactions between Leopard Cats and Their Potential Prey with Contrasting Diel Activities in a Livestock-Dominated Nature Reserve

Xiao

et al. 2023

Animals

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Habitat use and the temporal activities of wildlife can be largely modified by livestock encroachment. Therefore, identifying the potential impacts of livestock on the predator–prey interactions could provide essential information for wildlife conservation and management. From May to October 2017, we used camera trapping technology to investigate fine-scale spatiotemporal interactions in a predator–prey system with the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis) as a common mesopredator, and its prey with contrasting activity patterns (i.e., nocturnal rats and diurnal squirrels) in a livestock-dominated nature reserve in Northern China. We found that the prey species showed different habitat preferences with the leopard cats. The nocturnal rats had strong positive effects on the site-use of the leopard cats, while the influence of livestock on the diurnal squirrels’ site-use changed from strong positive effects to weak effects as the livestock disturbance increased. The temporal overlap between the leopard cats and the nocturnal rats was almost four times that of the leopard cats and the diurnal squirrels, regardless of the livestock disturbance. Our study demonstrated that the fine-scale spatiotemporal use patterns of the leopard cats were consistent and highly correlated with the nocturnal rats under livestock disturbance. We suggest that appropriate restrictions on livestock disturbance should be implemented by reserve managers to reduce the threat to wildlife and achieve multi-species coexistence.

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Activity patterns of leopards (Panthera pardus) and temporal overlap with their prey in an arid depredation hotspot of southern Africa

Cited by 11 publications

References 38 publications

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Livestock Predation by Leopards in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Livestock Predation by Leopards in Bardia National Park, Nepal

Searching for spots: a comprehensive survey for the Arabian leopard Panthera pardus nimr in Saudi Arabia

Fine-Scale Interactions between Leopard Cats and Their Potential Prey with Contrasting Diel Activities in a Livestock-Dominated Nature Reserve

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