IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Majumder, A.; Basu, S.; Sankar, K.; Qureshi, Q.; Jhala, Y.V.; Nigam, P.; Gopal, R. | |
| Home ranges of the radio-collared Bengal Tigers (_Panthera tigris tigris_) in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Central India | |
| 2012 Wildlife Biology in Practice (8): 36-49 | |
Home ranges of three radio-collared Bengal tigers (one adult female (AF), one adult male (AM) and one sub-adult male (SAM)) were studied between March 2008 and December 2011 in Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), Madhya Pradesh. Using 100% Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP), the estimated home ranges of AF (n= 750 locations), AM (n = 136 locations) and SAM (n = 739 locations) were 43 km2, 55.1 km2 and 52.2 km2 respectively. Using 95% fixed kernel (FK), the corresponding figures were 32.1 km2, 64.1 km2 and 19.1 km2. The core area of individual activity for each tiger, as determined by 65% FK, was 10.3 km2 for AF, 20.3 km2 for AM and 6.6 km2 for SAM. The estimated overlap area between AM and AF using 95% FK was 19.2 km2 (65%), whereas it was 15.4 km2 (48%) between AF and SAM. The AF recruited three, four and five cubs in her 1st (May 2008 and all died during post natal stage), 2nd (October 2008) and 3rd litter (October 2010) respectively. Minimum 44% of the original natal area was used by AF at the time of raising her 2nd litter and 46% in her 3rd litter. Though there was a gradual extension of the annual home range, as observed during the first two years (2008-2010), but the core activity area remained considerably the same for AF over the study period. The study revealed that a minimum of 25 to 30 km2 undisturbed area was required for a breeding female in PTR where both the wild prey density (348.2/km2) and biomass (12384.7kg/km2) were found to be high with adequate ground cover for the successful raising of cubs up to the dispersal stage. Pench and its surrounding forested habitat need to be protected for the breeding and dispersing tiger population. |
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