On the tiger trails: Leopard occupancy decline and leopard interaction with tigers in the forested habitat across the Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal

Thapa, Kanchan; Malla, Sabita; Subba, Samundra Ambuhang; Thapa, Gokarna Jung; Lamichhane, Babu Ram; Subedi, Naresh; Dhakal, Maheshwar; Acharya, Krishna Prasad; Thapa, Madhuri Karki; Neupane, Pramod; Poudel, Shashank; Bhatta, Shiv Raj; Jnawali, Shant Raj; Kelly, Marcella J.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2020.e01412

Cited by 21 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 55 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We also used other prey species (barking deer, rhesus, and chital) as covariates, but their influence in the model was weak. We believe the rarity of prey other than wild boar in the Chure range is the reason for such results in contrast to our expectation of strong relation between predators (leopard) and prey (Thapa et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…We chose 10 × 10 km 2 grid size because it was larger than the home range size of leopards, that is, 6-90 km 2 in lowland Nepal and similar habitats (Norton & Henley, 1987;Odden & Wegge, 2005;Seidensticker, 1976;Simcharoen et al, 2008). We sampled the entire Chure, and thus, results reflect the true occupancy, that is, the proportion of area occupied by leopard at landscape level (Karanth et al, 2011;Thapa et al, 2021). A 2-km-long continuous random walking transect (defined as search paths; Thapa et al, 2021) with four segments of 500 m was surveyed within a subgrid, with maximum of 32-km search paths within each grid; that is, the encounter occasions limit to 16 spatial replicates of 2 km each.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We sampled the entire Chure, and thus, results reflect the true occupancy, that is, the proportion of area occupied by leopard at landscape level (Karanth et al, 2011;Thapa et al, 2021). A 2-km-long continuous random walking transect (defined as search paths; Thapa et al, 2021) with four segments of 500 m was surveyed within a subgrid, with maximum of 32-km search paths within each grid; that is, the encounter occasions limit to 16 spatial replicates of 2 km each. However, these expected survey efforts within each grid differ from actual survey effort in the field due to logistical constraints (Harihar & Pandav, 2012).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Among the mammalian carnivores, the less efficient competitors avoid the specialized competitors through spatial segregation by establishing the home range outside of the specialized competitors (Atwood & Gese, 2010;Grassel et al, 2015;Gubbi et al, 2020;Thapa et al, 2021;Thornton et al, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The leopard habitat outside protected areas is rapidly declining, and within Pas, they face exploitative and interference competition with the socially dominant large carnivores such as tigers ( Panthera tigris ) and lions ( Panthera leo ) in most of their distribution range (Barber‐Meyer et al., 2013 ; McDougal, 1988 ; Miller et al., 2018 ; Miquelle et al., 2005 ; Seidensticker, 1976 ; Seidensticker et al., 1990 ). Among the mammalian carnivores, the less efficient competitors avoid the specialized competitors through spatial segregation by establishing the home range outside of the specialized competitors (Atwood & Gese, 2010 ; Grassel et al., 2015 ; Gubbi et al., 2020 ; Thapa et al., 2021 ; Thornton et al., 2004 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

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

Lamichhane

Regmi³

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

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

Lamichhane

Regmi³

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Occupancy, density, and activity patterns of a Critically Endangered leopard population on the Kawthoolei‐Thailand border

Montgomery¹,

Stokes²,

K'lu³

et al. 2023

Population Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large carnivores have been largely extirpated from Southeast Asia due to deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and poaching. Estimating the density of endangered carnivore populations, and identifying relationships between species occupancy and both environmental and anthropogenic factors, is essential for effective conservation planning. Recently, the IUCN conservation status of the Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) was upgraded to “Critically Endangered.” We surveyed Kweekoh Wildlife Sanctuary in Kawthoolei, an area administered by the Karen ethnic group in eastern Myanmar, to quantify (1) leopard population density using spatially explicit mark‐resight (SMR) models, (2) leopard occupancy as influenced by important ecological variables, and (3) potential differences in activity between melanistic and spotted leopard morphs. Leopard density was estimated to be 1.39 ± SE 0.22/100 km2. Leopard occupancy (ψ = 0.43; 95% credible interval: 0.26–0.67) increased further from roads, at relatively higher elevations, and in areas with higher relative abundance of wild boar. Leopard activity was cathemeral, with higher activity during night hours, and significant overlap (Δ = 0.84; 95% confidence interval: 0.71–0.96) between melanistic and spotted morphs. However, melanistic leopards were more active during twilight hours than spotted individuals whose activity did not significantly vary throughout the day. Indochinese leopard density estimates in Kweekoh were among the lowest reported from Southeast Asia. Leopard occupancy was highest in the sanctuary's core areas, suggesting the presence of negative anthropogenic impacts along the sanctuary borders. We suggest our low density estimates warrant immediate and decisive conservation action, including better protection for leopards, their habitat, and their prey.

show abstract

Lion lords and sharing hyaenas: Carnivore guild dynamics around elephant carcasses

Honiball,

Davis,

Ntlokwana

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Megaherbivore carcasses represent sporadic but energetically rewarding resources for carnivores, offering a unique opportunity to study coexistence dynamics between facultative scavengers. South African fenced protected areas, such as Madikwe Game Reserve (Madikwe hereafter), host viable populations of large carnivores and high densities of elephants, Loxodonta africana. However, high carnivore densities can lead to potentially fatal interspecific encounters and increased competition, particularly around high‐quality trophic resources. This study explores the temporal partitioning and co‐detection strategies of carnivores at six elephant carcasses in Madikwe, aiming to understand how the increased carrion biomass available at elephant carcasses influences coexistence dynamics. Camera traps were deployed to monitor carcasses during two periods (2019 and 2020), revealing occurrences of six carnivore species. Carnivores, particularly black‐backed jackals, Lupulella mesomelas, (hereafter jackal), lions, Panthera leo, and spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta, comprised 56.7% of carcass observations, highlighting their pivotal roles in scavenging dynamics. Pairwise co‐detection analysis demonstrated consistent association and shared peak activity periods between jackals and spotted hyaenas, indicating potential resource sharing. However, the minimal co‐detection rates between lions and other carnivores highlight their resource domination. There was some evidence of temporal partitioning between carnivores, with most species exhibiting earlier peaks in nocturnal activity to avoid temporal overlap with lions. This study emphasises the importance of elephant carcasses in the diet of multiple species and coexistence techniques utilised to exploit this ephemeral resource. As fenced protected areas become crucial for conserving intact carnivore guilds globally, further research into carnivore behavioural adaptations at carcasses is recommended to shed light on their coexistence strategies.

show abstract

On the tiger trails: Leopard occupancy decline and leopard interaction with tigers in the forested habitat across the Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal

Cited by 21 publications

References 55 publications

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

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

Occupancy, density, and activity patterns of a Critically Endangered leopard population on the Kawthoolei‐Thailand border

Lion lords and sharing hyaenas: Carnivore guild dynamics around elephant carcasses

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About