Food habits of tigers Panthera tigris in terms of prey abundance were studied in the semi‐arid deciduous forests of Ranthambhore National Park, western India, between November 2000 and April 2001. Wild prey availability was assessed by line transects (n=8) and prey selection by the tigers was determined from analysis of scats (n=109). Compared to some other parts of the country, prey abundance was found to be high at 96.65 animals km⁻². Chital Axis axis was the most abundant wild prey in the study area, followed by common langur Presbytis entellus, sambar Cervus unicolor, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, wild pig Sus scrofa and chinkara Gazella bennetti. Chital (c. 31%) and sambar (c. 47%) constituted the bulk of the tigers' diet and were preferred prey. Nilgai and chinkara contributed minimally to the tigers' diet (c. 5–7% and <1%, respectively) and were used less than their availability. Domestic livestock made up 10–12% of the tigers' diet. The average weight of an animal consumed was between 107 and 114 kg reflecting a preference for large prey. The analysis reveals that parts of Ranthambhore have high prey abundance, thus making it important for long‐term tiger conservation. Despite the high prey abundance, tigers were still considerably dependent on domestic livestock, posing challenges for the park management to resolve potential areas of conflict.

Niches of 2 cervids (chital, Axis axis and sambar, Cervus unicolor) and 2 bovids (nilgai, Boselaphus tragocamelus and chinkara, Gazella bennetti) fro

The Sundarbans tiger inhabits a unique mangrove habitat and are morphologically distinct from the recognized tiger subspecies in terms of skull morphometrics and body size. Thus, there is an urgent need to assess their ecological and genetic distinctiveness and determine if Sundarbans tigers should be defined and managed as separate conservation unit. We utilized nine microsatellites and 3 kb from four mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes to estimate genetic variability, population structure, demographic parameters and visualize historic and contemporary connectivity among tiger populations from Sundarbans and mainland India. We also evaluated the traits that determine exchangeability or adaptive differences among tiger populations. Data from both markers suggest that Sundarbans tiger is not a separate tiger subspecies and should be regarded as Bengal tiger (P. t. tigris) subspecies. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analyses of the mtDNA data revealed reciprocal monophyly. Genetic differentiation was found stronger for mtDNA than nuclear DNA. Microsatellite markers indicated low genetic variation in Sundarbans tigers (He= 0.58) as compared to other mainland populations, such as northern and Peninsular (Hebetween 0.67- 0.70). Molecular data supports migration between mainland and Sundarbans populations until very recent times. We attribute this reduction in gene flow to accelerated fragmentation and habitat alteration in the landscape over the past few centuries. Demographic analyses suggest that Sundarbans tigers have diverged recently from peninsular tiger population within last 2000 years. Sundarbans tigers are the most divergent group of Bengal tigers, and ecologically non-exchangeable with other tiger populations, and thus should be managed as a separate “evolutionarily significant unit” (ESU) following the adaptive evolutionary conservation (AEC) concept.

We used camera trapping in conjunction with a spatial explicit capture–recapture model to estimate striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) density and occupancy models to investigate factors affecting striped hyena detection probabilities in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), Rajasthan, India. A sampling effort of 4,450 trap days/nights over 75 days yield 68 photo captures of 21 unique striped hyenas (based on individual markings and visual identification); the estimated striped hyena density was 5.49 ± 1.27 individuals/100 km². Results of our occupancy model suggested that a rugged terrain is an important factor that influences striped hyena detection probability. Correlation with striped hyena detection with human settlement provides evidence of social tolerance of striped hyena towards humans, and more occurrence of resources allowed coexistence of hyena in a human-dominated landscape. This elasticity (inhabited areas close to humans) demonstrated by striped hyenas is an exception among carnivore communities living in this semi-arid habitat.