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Author Chetri, M., Odden, M., Wegge, P. url 
  Title Snow Leopard and Himalayan Wolf: Food Habits and Prey Selection in the Central Himalayas, Nepal Type Journal Article
  Year 2017 Publication Plos Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 12(2) Pages 2-16  
  Keywords  
  Abstract (up) Top carnivores play an important role in maintaining energy flow and functioning of the ecosystem,

and a clear understanding of their diets and foraging strategies is essential for

developing effective conservation strategies. In this paper, we compared diets and prey

selection of snow leopards and wolves based on analyses of genotyped scats (snow leopards

n = 182, wolves n = 57), collected within 26 sampling grid cells (5×5 km) that were distributed

across a vast landscape of ca 5000 km2 in the Central Himalayas, Nepal. Within the

grid cells, we sampled prey abundances using the double observer method. We found that

interspecific differences in diet composition and prey selection reflected their respective

habitat preferences, i.e. snow leopards significantly preferred cliff-dwelling wild ungulates

(mainly bharal, 57% of identified material in scat samples), whereas wolves preferred typically

plain-dwellers (Tibetan gazelle, kiang and argali, 31%). Livestock was consumed less

frequently than their proportional availability by both predators (snow leopard = 27%; wolf =

24%), but significant avoidance was only detected among snow leopards. Among livestock

species, snow leopards significantly preferred horses and goats, avoided yaks, and used

sheep as available. We identified factors influencing diet composition using Generalized Linear

Mixed Models. Wolves showed seasonal differences in the occurrence of small mammals/

birds, probably due to the winter hibernation of an important prey, marmots. For snow

leopard, occurrence of both wild ungulates and livestock in scats depended on sex and latitude.

Wild ungulates occurrence increased while livestock decreased from south to north,

probably due to a latitudinal gradient in prey availability. Livestock occurred more frequently

in scats from male snow leopards (males: 47%, females: 21%), and wild ungulates more frequently

in scats from females (males: 48%, females: 70%). The sexual difference agrees

with previous telemetry studies on snow leopards and other large carnivores, and may

reflect a high-risk high-gain strategy among males.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1450  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Hanson, J. H., Schutgens, M., Lama, R.P., Aryal, A., Dhakal, M. url 
  Title Local attitudes to the proposed translocation of blue sheep Pseudois nayaur to Sagarmatha National Park, Nepal Type Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Fauna & Flora International Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-7  
  Keywords Attitudes, blue sheep, human&wildlife conflict, Panthera uncia, Pseudois nayaur, Sagarmatha National Park, snow leopard, translocation  
  Abstract (up) Translocations are an important tool for the conservation

of biodiversity, but although ecological feasibility

studies are frequently conducted prior to implementation,

social feasibility studies that consider how local communities

perceive such projects are less common. The translocation

of blue sheep Pseudois nayaur to Sagarmatha National

Park, Nepal, has been proposed, to reduce livestock depredation

by snow leopards Panthera uncia by providing an alternative

prey base in addition to the small population of

Himalayan thar Hemitragus jemlahicus. This study used

systematic sampling, a quantitative questionnaire and qualitative

interviews within the Park to provide data on the social

viability of the proposed translocation. Quantitative

analysis revealed moderate levels of support but qualitative

analysis suggested that there are significant concerns about

the proposal. In addition,multiple regression analysis found

that women and livestock owners were significantly less

supportive, although the model had low explanatory

power. Potential crop damage and competition for forage

were frequently cited as concerns, especially amongst

those with a high level of dependence on natural resources.

Given the mixed response to the proposed translocation of

blue sheep to the Everest region, alleviating the reservations

of local residents is likely to be key to any further consultation,

planning or implementation.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1475  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Ghoshal, A., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Pandav, B., Sharma, K., Mshra, C. url 
  Title Assessing changes in distribution of the Endangered snow leopard Panthera uncia and its wild prey over 2 decades in the Indian Himalaya through interviewbased occupancy surveys Type Journal Article
  Year 2017 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-13  
  Keywords Asiatic ibex, blue sheep, carnivore, occupancy, snow leopard, survey, threat, ungulate  
  Abstract (up) Understanding species distributions, patterns of

change and threats can form the basis for assessing the conservation

status of elusive species that are difficult to survey.

The snow leopard Panthera uncia is the top predator of the

Central and South Asian mountains. Knowledge of the distribution

and status of this elusive felid and its wild prey is

limited. Using recall-based key-informant interviews we estimated

site use by snow leopards and their primary wild

prey, blue sheep Pseudois nayaur and Asiatic ibex Capra

sibirica, across two time periods (past: �; recent:

�) in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. We

also conducted a threat assessment for the recent period.

Probability of site use was similar across the two time periods

for snow leopards, blue sheep and ibex, whereas for wild

prey (blue sheep and ibex combined) overall there was an

% contraction. Although our surveys were conducted in

areas within the presumed distribution range of the snow

leopard, we found snow leopards were using only % of

the area (, km). Blue sheep and ibex had distinct distribution

ranges. Snow leopards and their wild prey were not

restricted to protected areas, which encompassed only %

of their distribution within the study area. Migratory livestock

grazing was pervasive across ibex distribution range

and was the most widespread and serious conservation

threat. Depredation by free-ranging dogs, and illegal hunting

and wildlife trade were the other severe threats. Our

results underscore the importance of community-based, landscape-

scale conservation approaches and caution against reliance

on geophysical and opinion-based distribution maps that have been used to estimate national and global snow leopard ranges.
 
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1463  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Shrestha, A., Thapa, K., Subba, S. A., Dhakal, M., Devkota, B. P., Thapa, G. J., Shrestha, S., Malla, S., Thapa, K. url 
  Title Cats, canines, and coexistence: dietary differentiation between the sympatric Snow Leopard and Grey Wolf in the western landscape of Nepal Himalaya Type Journal Article
  Year 2019 Publication Journal of Threatened Taxa Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 11 Issue 7 Pages 13815-13821  
  Keywords Canis lupus, dietary pattern, dietary overlap, livestock, Naur, negative interaction, Panthera uncia, scat analysis, sympatry  
  Abstract (up) Understanding the dietary habits of sympatric apex carnivores advances our knowledge of ecological processes and aids their conservation. We compared the diets of the sympatric Snow Leopard Panthera uncia and Grey Wolf Canis lupus using standard micro-histological analyses of scats collected from the western complex of Nepal Himalaya. Our study revealed one of the highest recorded contributions of livestock to the diet of top predators (55% for Grey Wolf and 39% for Snow Leopard) and high dietary overlap (0.82) indicating potential exploitative or interference competition. Their diet composition, however, varied significantly based on their consumption of wild and domestic prey. Limitation in data precludes predicting direction and outcome of inter-specific interactions between these predators. Our findings suggest a high rate of negative interaction with humans in the region and plausibly retaliatory killings of these imperilled predators. To ensure the sustained survival of these two apex carnivores, conservation measures should enhance populations of their wild prey species while reducing livestock losses of the local community through preventive and mitigative interventions.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1485  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Rovero, F., Augugliaro, C., Havmoller, R. W., Groff, C., Zimmerman, F., Oberosler, V., Tenan, S. url  doi
  Title Co-occurrence of snow leopard Panthera uncia, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica and livestock: potential relationships and effects Type Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication Oryx Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-7  
  Keywords Altai mountains, camera trapping, human� wildlife conflict, Mongolia, occupancy, occurrence interactions, Siberian ibex, snow leopard  
  Abstract (up) Understanding the impact of livestock on native

wildlife is of increasing conservation relevance. For the

Vulnerable snow leopard Panthera uncia, wild prey reduction,

intensifying human�wildlife conflicts and retaliatory

killings are severe threats potentially exacerbated by the

presence of livestock. Elucidating patterns of co-occurrence

of snow leopards, wild ungulate prey, and livestock, can be

used to assess the compatibility of pastoralism with conservation.

We used camera trapping to study the interactions of

livestock, Siberian ibex Capra sibirica and snow leopards in

a national park in the Altai mountains, Mongolia. We obtained

 detections of wild mammals and  of domestic

ungulates, dogs and humans. Snow leopards and Siberian

ibex were recorded  and  times, respectively. Co-occurrence

modelling showed that livestock had a higher estimated

occupancy (.) than ibex, whose occupancy was

lower in the presence of livestock (.) than in its absence

(.�. depending on scenarios modelled). Snow leopard

occupancy did not appear to be affected by the presence of

livestock or ibex but the robustness of such inference was

limited by uncertainty around the estimates. Although our

sampling at presumed snow leopard passing sites may have

led to fewer ibex detections, results indicate that livestock

may displace wild ungulates, but may not directly affect

the occurrence of snow leopards. Snow leopards could still

be threatened by livestock, as overstocking can trigger

human�carnivore conflicts and hamper the conservation

of large carnivores. Further research is needed to assess

the generality and strength of our results.
 
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1465  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Shrestha, B., Aihartza, J., Kindlmann url 
  Title Diet and prey selection by snow leopards in the Nepalese Himalayas Type Journal Article
  Year 2018 Publication PLoS ONE Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue Pages 1-18  
  Keywords  
  Abstract (up) Visual attractiveness and rarity often results in large carnivores being adopted as flagship

species for stimulating conservation awareness. Their hunting behaviour and prey selection

can affect the population dynamics of their prey, which in turn affects the population dynamics

of these large carnivores. Therefore, our understanding of their trophic ecology and foraging

strategies is important for predicting their population dynamics and consequently for

developing effective conservation programs. Here we concentrate on an endangered species

of carnivores, the snow leopard, in the Himalayas. Most previous studies on snow leopard

diet lack information on prey availability and/or did not genetically check, whether the

identification of snow leopard scats is correct, as their scats are similar to those of other

carnivores. We studied the prey of snow leopard in three Himalayan regions in Nepal

(Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), Lower Mustang (LM) and Upper Manang (UM) in the

Annapurna Conservation Area, during winter and summer in 2014�2016. We collected 268

scats along 139.3 km linear transects, of which 122 were genetically confirmed to belong to

snow leopard. Their diet was identified by comparing hairs in scats with our reference collection

of the hairs of potential prey. We determined prey availability using 32�48 camera-traps

and 4,567 trap nights. In the SNP, the most frequent prey in snow leopard faeces was the

Himalayan tahr in both winter and summer. In LM and UM, its main prey was blue sheep in

winter, but yak and goat in summer. In terms of relative biomass consumed, yak was the

main prey everywhere in both seasons. Snow leopard preferred large prey and avoided

small prey in summer but not in winter, with regional differences. It preferred domestic to

wild prey only in winter, and in SNP. Unlike most other studies carried out in the same area,

our study uses genetic methods for identifying the source of the scat. Studies solely based

on visual identification of samples may be strongly biased. Diet studies based on frequency

of occurrence of prey tend to overestimate the importance of small prey, which may be consumed

more often, but contribute less energy than large prey. However, even assessments

based on prey biomass are unlikely to be accurate as we do not know whether the actual

size of the prey consumed corresponds to the average size used to calculate the biomass

eaten. For example, large adults may be too difficult to catch and therefore mostly young animals are consumed, whose weight is much lower. We show that snow leopard consumes

a diverse range of prey, which varies both regionally and seasonally. We conclude that in

order to conserve snow leopards it is also necessary to conserve its main wild species of

prey, which will reduce the incidence of losses of livestock.
 
  Address  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1476  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Maheshwari, A., Sharma, D., Sathyakumar, S. url 
  Title Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) surveys in the Western Himalayas, India Type Journal Article
  Year 2013 Publication Journal of Ecology and Natural Environmnet Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 5 Issue 10 Pages 303-309  
  Keywords Conflict, Himalayas, livestock depredation, prey, snow leopard, habitat, Uttarakhand.  
  Abstract (up) We conducted surveys above 3000 m elevation in eight protected areas of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. These surveys provide new information on snow leopard in Uttarakhand on the basis of indirect evidence such as pugmark and scat. Snow leopard evidence (n = 13) were found between 3190 and 4115 m elevation. On an average, scats (n = 09) of snow leopard were found for every 56 km walked and pugmarks (n = 04) for every 126 km walked. Altogether, about 39% of the evidence were found on the hill-slope followed by valley floor (30%), cliff (15%) and 8% from both stream bed and scree slope. Genetic analysis of the scats identified three different individuals by using snow leopard specific primers. Snow leopard-human conflicts were assessed through questionnaire based interviews of shepherds from Govind Pashu Vihar Wildlife Sanctuary, Askot Wildlife Sanctuary and Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve areas of Uttarakhand. Surveys revealed that livestock depredation (mule, goat and sheep) is the only cause of snow leopard-human conflicts and contributed 36% of the diet of snow leopard. Blue sheep and rodents together comprised 36.4% of the total diet. We found that 68.1% of the surveyed area was used for pastoral activities in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and 12.3% area was under tourism, defence and developmental activities.  
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  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1401  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Johansson, Torbjorn, A. Johansson, Orjan. McCarthy, Tom url 
  Title An Automatic VHF Transmitter Monitoring System for Wildlife Research Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication Wildlife Society Bulletin Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 9999 Issue Pages 1-5  
  Keywords automatic system, monitoring, pulse detection, trap-site transmitter, VHF transmitter monitoring  
  Abstract (up) We describe an automated system for monitoring multiple very high frequency (VHF) transmitters, which are commonly employed in wildlife studies. The system consists of a microprocessor-controlled radio-frequency monitor equipped with advanced signal-processing capabilities that communicates with, and relays information to, a user interface unit at a different location. the system was designed for a capture-and-release snow leopard (Panthera uncia) study in Mongolia, where checking trap-site transmitters manually entailed climbing a hill with telemetry equipment several times each day and night. Here, it monitors the trap-site transmitters and actively produces an alarm when any of the traps have been triggered, or if the system has lost contact with any trap-transmitter. The automated system allowed us to constantly monitor transmitters from a research camp, and alerted us each time a trap was triggered. The system has been field-tested for 83 days from mid-September 2010 to mid-december 2010 in the Tost mountain range on the edge of Mongolia's Gobi desert. During this time, the system performed reliably, responding correctly to 45 manually generated alarms and 9 animal captures. The system considerably shortens the time the captured animals spend in traps, and also mitigates the need for manual trap-site transmitter monitoring, greatly reducing risk to the animal and the human effort involved.  
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  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1379  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Johansson, Torbjorn, A. Johansson, Orjan. McCarthy, Tom url 
  Title An Automatic VHF Transmitter Monitoring System for Wildlife Research Type Journal Article
  Year 2011 Publication Wildlife Society Bulletin Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume 35 Issue (4) Pages 489-493  
  Keywords  
  Abstract (up) We describe an automated system for Monitoring multiple very high frequency (VHF) transmitters, which are commonly employed in wildlife studies. The system consists of a microprocessor-controlled radio-frequency monitor equipped with advanced signal-processing capabilities that communicates with, and release snow leopard (Panthera uncia) study in Mongolia, where checking trap-site transmitters manually entailed climbing a hill with telemetry equipment several times each day and night. Here, it monitors the trap site transmitters and actively produces an alarm when any of the traps have been triggered, or if the system has lost contact with any trap-transmitter. The automated system allowed us to constantly monitor transmitters from a research camp, and alerted us each time a trap was triggered. The sys ten has been field-tested for 83 days from mid-September 2010 to mid- December 2010 in the Tost mountain range on the edge of Mongolia's Gobi desert. During this time, the system performed reliably, responding correctly to 45 manually generated alarms and 9 animal captures. The system considerably sorters the time the captured animals spend in traps, and also mitigates the need for manual trap-site transmitter monitoring, greatly reducing risk to the animal and the human effort involved.  
  Address  
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  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
  Language Summary Language Original Title  
  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1382  
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author Guoliang, P., Alexander, J. S., Riordan, P., Shi, K., Kederhan, Yang, H url 
  Title Detection of a snow leopard population in northern Bortala, Xinjiang, China Type Journal Article
  Year 2016 Publication Cat News Abbreviated Journal  
  Volume Issue 63 Pages  
  Keywords  
  Abstract (up) We substantiate the presence of snow leopards Panthera uncia using camera

traps within the Dzungarian Alatau range in Bortala Mongolia Autonomous Prefecture,

Xinjiang Province, China. A total of 13 camera trap stations were set up in

2012 and a total of 14 camera trap stations in 2013 within an area of 192 km2. A total

of 11-15 individual adult snow leopards and two sub adults were identified from

photo captures of sufficient quality. A range of human activities were noted within

and surrounding the survey area, including livestock herding and mining. We recommend

more large scale and intensive camera trap surveys to further assess the

population status of the snow leopard within this area
 
  Address  
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  Publisher Place of Publication Editor  
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  Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title  
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  ISSN ISBN Medium  
  Area Expedition Conference  
  Notes Approved no  
  Call Number SLN @ rakhee @ Serial 1443  
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