Quantification of leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) prey in Satpura  National Park
and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary

– Advait Edgaonkar, Senior Research Fellow

ABSTRACT

Obtaining the density of major leopard prey is one of the objectives of the study on leopard ecology in Satpura National Park and Bori Wildlife Sanctuary. Fieldwork for this began in February 2002. An intensive study area of 280 sq. km was selected. Twenty transects, 10 of two km length and  10 of three km length (survey effort= 743 km) have been  used to obtain the absolute abundances of the major leopard prey: chital (Axis axis, 6.0 individuals/ sq. km), sambar (Cervus unicolor ,  5.7 / sq. km), langur (Trachypithecus entellus, 28.5/ sq. km) , peafowl  (Pavo cristatus, 2.0/ sq. km)  and wild pig (Sus scrofa, 1.8/ sq. km). Pellet plots (n= 235, 19 transects) and track plots (n = 99, 10 transects, 1195 pseudoreplicates) were used to obtain indices of relative abundance of leopard prey for the same areas.    Pellet group densities chital (2.1/ 100 sq. m), sambar (3/100 sq. m), langur (0.85 /100 sq. m), and pig (0.33/ 100 sq. m were calculated. Vegetation plots of 10 m radius (n= 230) were laid every 200 m along these transects to discriminate between habitats.  A cluster analysis of the tree species divided the transects into 3 groups. The relationship between the indices of relative abundance and absolute abundance in these different groups for various leopard prey species are discussed.

Project Title : The ecology of the leopard in Satpura National Park & Bori Wildlife Sanctuary.
Investigator(s) : Sh. Qamar Qureshi & Dr. Ravi Chellam
Researcher(s) : Advait Edgaonkar, SRF
Funding Agency : WII Grant-in-aid
Initiation  & Completion : 09/07/2001 to 30/06/2006
 

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