Diet of sloth bear in an agroforest landscape in eastern India

Palei, Himanshu Shekhar; Debata, Subrat; Sahu, Hemanta Kumar

doi:10.1007/s10457-019-00389-1

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Multiple factors, such as individual behavior and evolutionary history, as well as the frequency, duration, and scale of disturbance events, influence species occupancy (Graham et al, 2021; Iwasaki & Noda, 2018; Sousa, 1984). In relatively intact landscapes, such as the Western Ghats in India, sloth bears have been shown to avoid disturbance (Babu et al, 2015; Das et al, 2014; Puri et al, 2015), while in human‐dominated landscapes they have been reported to tolerate some degree of disturbance (Bargali et al, 2012), often consuming cultivated crops (Palei et al, 2020) and human food waste (Prajapati et al, 2021), and causing conflicts with humans (Debata et al, 2017; Dhamorikar et al, 2017). Human–sloth bear conflict is common throughout the year in CNP, suggesting that sloth bears perceive humans as a threat (Acharya et al, 2016; Lamichhane et al, 2018; Silwal et al, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This was expected because sloth bears are opportunistic omnivores that are specialized for a myrmecophagous diet (Joshi et al, 1997(Joshi et al, , 1999. Studies of their feeding ecology have shown that termites are the most frequent dietary item throughout the year, while fruit consumption is dependent on seasonal availability (Bargali et al, 2004;Palei et al, 2014Palei et al, , 2020Ramesh et al, 2012;Rather et al, 2020;Yoganand, 2005). In Chitwan, fruits are available for a short period from April to August, while termites tend to increasingly dominate the sloth bear's diet.…”

Section: Influence Of Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sloth bears are specially adapted for a myrmecophagous diet (Joshi et al, 1997(Joshi et al, , 1999. The composition of the diet varies with the temporal and spatial availability of the food resources, particularly termites and fruits (Bargali et al, 2004;Baskaran et al, 2015;Joshi et al, 1997;Khanal & Thapa, 2014;Laurie & Seidensticker, 1977;Mewada, 2015;Mewada et al, 2019;Palei et al, 2014Palei et al, , 2020Philip et al, 2021;Rather et al, 2020;Sukhadiya et al, 2013). In fruit-rich areas, sloth bears play an important role in the dispersal of seed and regeneration of fruit plants, thereby aiding in the maintenance of forest structure and composition (Sreekumar & Balakrishnan, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Paudel

Kadariya

Lamichhane

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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Mammals have experienced a massive decline in their populations and geographic ranges worldwide. The sloth bear, Melursus ursinus (Shaw, 1791), is one of many species facing conservation threats. Despite being endangered in Nepal, decades of inattention to the situation have hindered their conservation and management. We assessed the distribution and patterns of habitat use by sloth bears in Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. We conducted sign surveys from March to June, 2020, in 4 × 4 km grids (n = 45). We collected detection/non‐detection data along a 4‐km trail that was divided into 20 continuous segments of 200 m each. We obtained environmental, ecological, and anthropogenic covariates to understand determinants of sloth bear habitat occupancy. The data were analyzed using the single‐species single‐season occupancy method, with a spatially correlated detection. Using repeated observations, these models accounted for the imperfect detectability of the species to provide robust estimates of habitat occupancy. The model‐averaged occupancy estimate for the sloth bear was 69% and the detection probability was 0.25. The probability of habitat occupancy by sloth bears increased with the presence of termites and fruits and in rugged, dry, open, undisturbed habitats. Our results indicate that the sloth bear is elusive, functionally unique, and widespread in CNP. Future conservation interventions and action plans aimed at sloth bear management must adequately consider their habitat requirements.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Influence Of Covariatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Paudel

Kadariya

Lamichhane

et al. 2022

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Nevertheless, avoidance of human settlements does not necessarily curb the possibilities of conflict between humans and sloth bears, given the prevailing extensive anthropogenic pressure in STR. Sloth bears are also known to opportunistically raid crops and forage on fruits of Ziziphus mauritiana, Mangifera indica and Syzygium cumini found in the villages but less abundant inside the forest ( Bargali, Akhtar & Chauhan, 2004 ; Palei, Debata & Sahu, 2020 ). Habituation to human settlements often leads to severe conflicts between humans and sloth bears ( Bargali, Akhtar & Chauhan, 2005 ; Dhamorikar et al, 2017 ; Prajapati, Koli & Sundar, 2021 ), so there are significant conservation implications for this species in human-dominated landscapes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

N-mixture model-based estimate of relative abundance of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in response to biotic and abiotic factors in a human-dominated landscape of central India

Chaudhuri

Rajaraman

Sankar

et al. 2022

PeerJ

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Reliable estimation of abundance is a prerequisite for a species’ conservation planning in human-dominated landscapes, especially if the species is elusive and involved in conflicts. As a means of population estimation, the importance of camera traps has been recognized globally, although estimating the abundance of unmarked, cryptic species has always been a challenge to conservation biologists. This study explores the use of the N-mixture model with three probability distributions, i.e., Poisson, negative binomial (NB) and zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP), to estimate the relative abundance of sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) based on a camera trapping exercise in Sanjay Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh from December 2016 to April 2017. We used environmental and anthropogenic covariates to model the variation in the abundance of sloth bears. We also compared null model estimates (mean site abundance) obtained from the N-mixture model to those of the Royle-Nichols abundance-induced heterogeneity model (RN model) to assess the application of similar site-structured models. Models with Poisson distributions produced ecologically realistic and more precise estimates of mean site abundance (λ = 2.60 ± 0.64) compared with other distributions, despite the relatively high Akaike Information Criterion value. Area of mixed and sal forest, the photographic capture rate of humans and distance to the nearest village predicted a higher relative abundance of sloth bears. Mean site abundance estimates of sloth bears obtained from the N-mixture model (Poisson distribution) and the RN model were comparable, indicating the overall utility of these models in this field. However, density estimates of sloth bears based on spatially explicit methods are essential for evaluating the efficacy of the relatively more cost-effective N-mixture model. Compared to commonly used index/encounter-based methods, the N-mixture model equipped with knowledge on governing biotic and abiotic factors provides better relative abundance estimates for a species like the sloth bear. In the absence of absolute abundance estimates, the present study could be insightful for the long-term conservation and management of sloth bears.

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“…Sloth bears have the smallest area requirements among the study species, usually occupying <15 km 2 home-ranges (Yoganand et al, 2005;Ratnayeke et al, 2007). Their omnivorous diet is linked to the phenology of flowering and fruiting plant species and these bears are highly myrmecophagous as well (Akhtar et al, 2004;Sukhadiya et al, 2013;Palei et al, 2020;Philip et al, 2021). Sloth bears are heavily dependent on the availability of forest cover and generally shun areas with high levels of anthropogenic disturbance (Ramesh et al, 2012;Das et al, 2014;Puri et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing Carnivore Occurrence and Community Attitudes Towards Wildlife in a Multi-Use Arid Landscape Corridor

Kannan

Salaria

Khan

et al. 2022

Front. Conserv. Sci.

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Small population sizes, low densities, and large area requirements make large carnivores particularly sensitive to habitat degradation and land-use change. In fragmented landscapes, many protected areas cannot accommodate viable wildlife populations in themselves, which brings the surrounding human-dominated matrix that may extend wildlife habitats or serve as corridors into focus. Such areas are typically excluded from the conservation portfolio and are subject to rapid land -use change in many areas. This study investigates the occurrence of tigers, sloth bears, leopards and striped hyenas and assesses community use of natural resources and attitudes towards wildlife in a 3,384 km2 portion of semi-arid multiple-use landscape in Western India that also serves as an important wildlife corridor. This area abuts Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, a preeminent protected area in Western India. Sign surveys spanning 1,039.22 km of trails were conducted in 94, 36 km2 grids spanning agricultural land, forests and other land use types to collate information on wildlife occurrence and associated environmental and human factors. Analysis using occupancy models revealed that tiger and sloth bear occurrence probabilities (0.093 ± 0.05), and (0.13 ± 0.02) were considerably lower than those for leopards (0.72 ± 0.22) and striped hyenas (0.91 ± 0.08). Lack of sufficient cover and limited food availability renders these multiple-use habitats poorly suited for tigers and sloth bears, while leopards and hyenas are able to adapt better to multi-use areas. Concurrently, 66 villages were surveyed across the study landscape, where data on broad socio-economic attributes of communities and their attitudes towards wildlife were assessed through questionnaire surveys. More respondents expressed negative attitudes than positive attitudes which vary as a function of education levels, occupation and land holding sizes. Ongoing landscape transformation through mining, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, and negative attitudes towards wildlife conservation among people living in the agricultural matrix threatens the long-term functionality of these corridors. Therefore, immediate measures are needed to develop and implement corridor conservation strategies and plans, with a focus on land use planning and human-wildlife conflict mitigation. In the absence of decisive and timely action, wildlife populations may increasingly get relegated to fragmented patches, jeopardising their persistence.

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Diet of sloth bear in an agroforest landscape in eastern India

Cited by 13 publications

References 41 publications

Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Habitat occupancy of sloth bear Melursus ursinus in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

N-mixture model-based estimate of relative abundance of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in response to biotic and abiotic factors in a human-dominated landscape of central India

Assessing Carnivore Occurrence and Community Attitudes Towards Wildlife in a Multi-Use Arid Landscape Corridor

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