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Lovari, S., Minder, I., Ferretti, F., Mucci, N., Randi, E., Pellizzi, B. (2013). Common and snow leopards share prey, but not habitats: competition avoidance by large predators. Journal of Zoology, 291, 127–135.
Abstract: Resource exploitation and behavioural interference underlie competition among
carnivores. Competition is reduced by specializing on different prey and/or spatiotemporal separation, usually leading to different food habits. We predicted that two closely related species of large cats, the endangered snow leopard and the near-threatened common leopard, living in sympatry, would coexist through habitat separation and exploitation of different prey species. In central Himalaya, we assessed (2006–2010) habitat and diet overlap between these carnivores. The snow leopard used grassland and shrubland, whereas the common leopard selected forest. Contrary to our prediction, snow leopard and common leopard preyed upon similar wild (Himalayan tahr, musk deer) and domestic species (Bos spp., dogs). Dietary overlap between snow leopard and common leopard was 69% (yearly), 76% (colder months) and 60% (warmer months). Thus, habitat separation should be the result of other factors, most likely avoidance of interspecific aggression. Habitat separation may not always lead to the use of different prey. Avoidance of interspecific aggression, rather than exploitation of different resources, could allow the coexistence of potentially competing large predators. |
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Lovari, S., Ventimiglia, M., Minder, I. (2013). Food habits of two leopard species, competition, climate change and upper treeline: a way to the decrease of an endangered species? Ethology Ecology & Evolution, 25(4), 305–318.
Abstract: For carnivore species, spatial avoidance is one of the evolutionary solutions to
coexist in an area, especially if food habits overlap and body sizes tend to coincide. We reviewed the diets of two large cats of similar sizes, the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia, 16 studies) and the near-threatened common leopard (Panthera par- dus, 11 studies), in Asia. These cats share ca 10,000 km2 of their mountainous range, although snow leopards tend to occur at a significantly higher altitude than common leopards, the former being a cold-adapted species of open habitats, whereas the latter is an ecologically flexible one, with a preference for woodland. The spectrum of prey of common leopards was 2.5 times greater than that of snow leopards, with wild prey being the staple for both species. Livestock rarely contributed much to the diet. When the breadth of trophic niches was compared, overlap ranged from 0.83 (weight categories) to one (main food categories). As these leopard species have approximately the same size and comparable food habits, one can predict that competition will arise when they live in sympatry. On mountains, climate change has been elevating the upper forest limit, where both leopard species occur. This means a habitat increase for common leopards and a substantial habitat reduction for snow leopards, whose range is going to be squeezed between the forest and the barren rocky altitudes, with medium- to long-term undesirable effects on the conservation of this endangered cat |
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Bischof, R., Hameed, S., Ali, H., Kabir, M., Younas, M., Shah, K. A., Din, J. U., Nawaz, M. A. (2013). Using time-to-event analysis to complement hierarchical methods when assessing determinants of photographic detectability during camera trapping. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, .
Abstract: 1. Camera trapping, paired with analytical methods for estimating occupancy, abundance and other ecological parameters, can yield information with direct consequences for wildlife management and conservation. Although ecological information is the primary target of most camera trap studies, detectability influences every aspect from design to interpretation.
2. Concepts and methods of time-toevent analysis are directly applicable to camera trapping, yet this statistical field has thus far been ignored as a way to analyze photographic capture data. to illustrate the use to time-to-event statistics and to better understand how photographic evidence accumulates, we explored patterns in tow related measure of detectability: Detection probability and time to detection. We analyzed camera trap data for three sympatric carnivores ( snow Leopard, red fox and stone marten) in the mountains of northern Pakistan and tested predictions about patterns in detectability across species, sites and time. 3. We found species-specific differences in the magnitude of detectability and the factors influencing it, reinforcing the need to consider determinants of detectability in study design and to account for them during analysis. Photographic detectability of snow leopard was noticeably lower than that of red fox, but comparable to detectability of stone marten. Site-specific attributes such as the presence of carnivore sign ( snow Leopard), terrain ( snow leopard and red fox) and application for lures ( red fox) influenced detectability. For the most part, detection probability was constant over time. 4. Species- specific differences in factors determining detectability make camera trap studies targeting multiple species particularly vulnerable to misinterpretation if the hierarchical origin of the data is ignored. Investigators should consider not only the magnitude of detectability, but also the shape of the curve describing the cumulative process of photographic detection, as this has consequences for both determining survey effort and the election of analytical models. Weighted time-to -event analysis can complement occupancy analysis and other hierarchal methods by providing additional tools for exploring camera trap data and testing hypotheses regarding the temporal aspect of photographic evidence accumulation. |
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Li, J., Lu, Z. (2014). Snow Leopard poaching and trade in China 2000-2013. Biological Conservation, (176), 207–211.
Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here, we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there. |
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Li, J., Lu, Z. (2014). Snow Leopard poaching and trade in China 2000-2013. Biological Conservation, (176), 207–211.
Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here, we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there. |
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Li, J., Lu, Z. (2014). Snow Leopard poaching and trade in China 2000- 2013. Biological Conservation, (176), 207–211.
Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here, we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there. |
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Li, J., Lu, Z. (2014). Snow Leopard Poaching and Trade in China 2000-2013. Biological Conservation, (176), 207–211.
Abstract: The snow leopard is a flagship species of the alpine ecosystem in the Central Asia, with China comprising
nearly 60% of the habitat and population. It was listed as endangered by IUCN and included in Appendix I of CITES in the 1970s. Poaching for its fur and bones is a significant and increasing threat to snow leopards globally. However, little detailed information is available on snow leopard poaching in China. Here, we collected all reported cases of snow leopard poaching and trade in China 2000–2013. We found that snow leopard parts were mainly traded in the major cities within their range provinces, but also began to emerge in a few coastal cities after 2010. Household interviews in the Sanjiangyuan Region in Qinghai Province showed that in this sub region alone, 11 snow leopards were killed annually, accounting for about 1.2% of the estimated snow leopard population there. |
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Suryawanshi, K. R., Bhatia, S., Bhatnagar, Y. V., Redpath, S., Mishra, C. (2014). Multiscale Factors Affecting Human Attitudes toward Snow Leopards and Wolves. Conservation biology, 00, 1–10.
Abstract: The threat posed by large carnivores to livestock and humans makes peaceful coexistence between
them difficult. Effective implementation of conservation laws and policies depends on the attitudes of local residents toward the target species. There are many known correlates of human attitudes toward carnivores, but they have only been assessed at the scale of the individual. Because human societies are organized hierarchically, attitudes are presumably influenced by different factors at different scales of social organization, but this scale dependence has not been examined.We used structured interview surveys to quantitatively assess the attitudes of a Buddhist pastoral community toward snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and wolves (Canis lupus). We interviewed 381 individuals from 24 villages within 6 study sites across the high-elevation Spiti Valley in the Indian Trans-Himalaya. We gathered information on key explanatory variables that together captured variation in individual and village-level socioeconomic factors.We used hierarchical linear models to examine how the effect of these factors on human attitudes changed with the scale of analysis from the individual to the community. Factors significant at the individual level were gender, education, and age of the respondent (for wolves and snow leopards), number of income sources in the family (wolves), agricultural production, and large-bodied livestock holdings (snow leopards). At the community level, the significant factors included the number of smaller-bodied herded livestock killed by wolves and mean agricultural production (wolves) and village size and large livestock holdings (snow leopards). Our results show that scaling up from the individual to higher levels of social organization can highlight important factors that influence attitudes of people toward wildlife and toward formal conservation efforts in general. Such scale-specific information can help managers apply conservation measures at appropriate scales. Our results reiterate the need for conflict management programs to be multipronged. |
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Johansson, O., McCarthy, T., Samelius, G., Andren, H., Tumursukh, L., Mishra, C. (2015). Snow leopard predation in a livestock dominated landscape in Mongolia. Biological Conservation, 184, 251–258.
Abstract: Livestock predation is an important cause of endangerment of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia) across
its range. Yet, detailed information on individual and spatio-temporal variation in predation patterns of snow leopards and their kill rates of livestock and wild ungulates are lacking. We collared 19 snow leopards in the Tost Mountains, Mongolia, and searched clusters of GPS positions to identify prey remains and estimate kill rate and prey choice. Snow leopards killed, on average, one ungulate every 8 days, which included more wild prey (73%) than livestock (27%), despite livestock abundance being at least one order of magnitude higher. Predation on herded livestock occurred mainly on stragglers and in rugged areas where animals are out of sight of herders. The two wild ungulates, ibex (Capra ibex) and argali (Ovis ammon), were killed in proportion to their relative abundance. Predation patterns changed with spatial (wild ungulates) and seasonal (livestock) changes in prey abundance. Adult male snow leopards killed larger prey and 2–6 times more livestock compared to females and young males. Kill rates were considerably higher than previous scat-based estimates, and kill rates of females were higher than kill rates of males. We suggest that (i) snow leopards prey largely on wild ungulates and kill livestock opportunistically, (ii) retaliatory killing by livestock herders is likely to cause greater mortality of adult male snow leopards compared to females and young males, and (iii) total off-take of prey by a snow leopard population is likely to be much higher than previous estimates suggest. |
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Mishra, C., Suryawanshi, K. (2014). Managing conflicts over livestock depradation by Large Carnivores. In SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION – Human-Wildlife Conflict in the Mountains of SAARC Region – Compilation of Successful Management Strategies and Practices (pp. 27–47).
Abstract: Managing wildlife-caused damage to human interests has become an important aspect of contemporary conservation management. Conflicts between pastoralism and carnivore conservation over livestock depredation pose a serious challenge to endangered carnivores worldwide, and have become an important livelihood concern locally. Here, we first review the primary causes of these conflicts, their socio-ecological correlates, and commonly employed mitigation measures. We then describe a community-based program to manage conflicts over livestock depredation by snow leopards Panthera uncia and wolves Canis lupus. A threats-based conceptual model of conflict management is presented. Conflicts over livestock depredation are characterized by complex, multi-scale interactions between carnivore and livestock behavioral ecology, animal husbandry, human psyche, culture, world-views, and socio-economic and education levels of affected peoples. A diversity of commonly employed conflict-mitigation measures is available. They aim at (i) reducing livestock depredation through better livestock herding, use of physical, chemical or psychological barriers, removal of carnivores, and use of livestock guard animals, (ii) offsetting economic losses through damage compensation and insurance programmes, and (iii) increasing peoples’ tolerance of carnivores through indirect approaches such as conservation education and economic incentives. For effective management, conflicts need to be understood along two important dimensions, viz., the reality of damage caused to humans, and the psyche and perceptions of humans who suffer wildlife caused damage. The efficacy of commonly used mitigation measures is variable. A combination of measures that reduce the level of livestock depredation, share or offset economic losses, and improve the social carrying capacity for carnivores will be more effective in managing conflicts than standalone measures
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