• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• 제3권3호
• /
• pp.154-164
• /
• 2022

Understanding temporal variations in wildlife populations is a prerequisite for conservation planning of wide-ranging species such as tigers (Panthera tigris). We determined the temporal variation in abundance, population growth, and sex ratios at different age and sex stages for a tiger population in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, India from November 2007 to February 2011 using motion-sensing cameras. We identified 19 male and 21 female tigers from stripe patterns during 16,110 trap nights within an area covering 233 km². The annual abundance of the population varied from 34.9 (mean)±3.8 (SE) to 23.9±1.5, with a declining trend in the mean annual change of abundance (-12%). The density of adult females remained stable across the study duration, but the densities of adult males and non-breeding tigers fluctuated. The sex ratio was female-biased (0.58 males/female) for breeding tigers and male-biased (1.74 males/female) for non-breeding tigers. Our results reinforce the importance of long-term studies for monitoring the naturally occurring processes in populations to develop population indicators and identify reliable baseline information for conservation and management planning of populations.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• 제4권2호
• /
• pp.72-78
• /
• 2023

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the most widespread felids worldwide. Despite their wide distribution, reliable data on leopard population densities are still inadequate for conservation and management strategies in different landscapes. In the present study, we estimated leopard density using camera traps in the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), Rajasthan, India, between December 2010 and February 2011, where leopards coexist alongside a high density of tigers (Panthera tigris), a larger predator (RTR). A sampling effort of 4,450 trap days was made from 178 camera trapping stations over 75 days, resulting in 46 suitable photo captures (25 right flanks and 21 left flanks). In total, 18 individuals (7 males, 8 females, and 3 unknown sexes) were identified using the right flanks, and the estimated leopard density was 8.8 (standard error=2.8) individuals/100 km². Leopard density appeared to respond to small prey (<50 kg weight) richness. As this is the first systematic study to provide baseline information on leopard density in RTR, it could form a baseline for comparison in future investigations.