Vidya Athreya

Wildlife Conservation Society, India.

The ecology and predator–prey dynamics of large felids in the tropics have largely been studied in natural systems where wild ungulates constitute the majority of the prey base. However, human-dominated landscapes can be rich in potential prey for large carnivores because of the high density of domestic animals, especially in tropical countries whe...

The need for a solid knowledge base to inform conservation activity is now universally recognised. We critically scrutinised the scientific knowledge of large felids in India located in peer-reviewed research papers to assess the information available to make landscape-level management decisions that aid conservation, which is a stated goal of both...

Protected areas are extremely important for the long term viability of biodiversity in a densely populated country like India where land is a scarce resource. However, protected areas cover only 5% of the land area in India and in the case of large carnivores that range widely, human use landscapes will function as important habitats required for g...

This chapter discusses the predation of wild carnivores on dogs, considering the range of recorded carnivore species responsible for killing dogs around the world. It examines the potential dog-killing species to search for records of killing or consuming dogs. There were also findings of recorded dog killings by non-carnivorous species.

Essas Diretrizes estão centradas em Princípios fundamentais de compreensão e gerenciamento de conflitos entre humanos e animais selvagens: (1) Não causar danos, (2) Entender os problemas e o contexto, (3) Trabalhar em conjunto, (4) Integrar ciência e política e (5) Possibilitar caminhos sustentáveis. Esses se espelham em uma Lista de Verificação de...

Shared spaces in Africa and Asia accommodate both humans and big cats. This engenders rare but distinctive cases of human fatalities by lions, tigers, and leopards. Among big cats, leopards have the widest range and occur even among high densities of humans. This increased potential for encounters with humans results in attacks, exemplified most by...

Culture influences how people respond to or interact with wildlife, and how they respond to and manage conflicts. Culture is a set of principles, habits and symbols that are learnt and shared; it unites groups of people and influences their worldview and behaviour. Culture is also symbolic, whereby people have a shared understanding of symbolic mea...

As human-wildlife conflicts become more frequent, serious and widespread worldwide, they are notoriously challenging to resolve, and many efforts to address these conflicts struggle to make progress. These Guidelines provide an essential guide to understanding and resolving human-wildlife conflict. The Guidelines aim to provide foundations and prin...

Human-wildlife interactions are an everyday reality in India. Managing any potential human-wildlife conflict is one of the most important tasks of the Indian government. As urban construction grows exponentially, many cities have come closer to forested areas and increased sightings of wildlife. Mumbai is located close to Sanjay Gandhi National Par...

Recent studies in the last decade have recorded obligate carnivores adapting to human dominated landscapes. Leopards, amongst other large carnivores, are highly adaptable and survive in a range of environments from the arid regions of Africa and the Middle East to the cold regions of the Russian Far East. They are also highly adaptable in their die...

The term “wastelands” originates from land governance systems in the colonial period, and it has been criticised in academia and conservation for being ecologically flawed. Although wastelands have been redefined in the post-independence period, there has been little change in the assumption that they were unproductive, degraded, and in need of ext...

Conservation conflicts or human-wildlife conflicts present one of the foremost challenges to the wildlife conservation globally. The challenges of reconciling human safety and food security with the conservation of large-bodied wildlife are further compounded in the developing nations with a high spatial overlap of wildlife with people. Therefore,...

Long histories of sharing space and resources have built complex, robust, and enduring relationships between humans and wildlife in many communities across the world. In order to understand what makes it possible for humans and wildlife to share space, we have to look beyond the ecological and socio-economic study of damages caused by human-wildlif...

Large carnivores in human-use areas make for sensational print media content. We used media reports to examine human-leopard interactions in Rajasthan, India. We extracted news reports on leopard-related incidents from January 2016 to December 2018. Incidents (n= 338) were categorized, mapped, and analysed to understand their nature and extent. We...

Home range size is a fundamental measure of animal space use, providing insight into habitat quality, animal density, and social organization. Human impacts are increasingly affecting wildlife, especially among wide-ranging species that encounter anthropogenic disturbance. Leopards (Panthera pardus) provide a useful model for studying this relation...

Small-sized protected areas face increasing pressures from developmental activities and are often rendered inadequate and isolated to conserve wide-ranging species. However, in situations where wildlife persists outside protected areas, conservation goals may be met by aligning the ecological needs of wildlife with the socio-economic needs of local...

There are many ways in which large carnivores and humans interact in shared spaces. In this study we provide insights into human-leopard relationships in an entirely modified, human-dominated landscape inhabited by dense populations of humans (266 per km ² ), their livestock (162 per km ² ) and relatively high densities of large predators (10 per 1...

Our study titled “Land sharing potential of large carnivores in human‐modified landscapes of western India” used an occupancy framework to provide baseline information on patterns and determinants of large carnivore presence in human‐use landscapes. In their letter, Shrotriya et al. raise concerns about our survey design, distort our inferences, an...

A presentation explaining steps for grassland conservation action

This document is intended to provide clear strategies and steps that different government agencies can undertake to secure and conserve grasslands in India

This study explores the diversity of factors that influence human–leopard relationships in Himachal Pradesh, India. Looking beyond the socio‐economic and ecological dimensions of human–leopard conflict, it documents the multifaceted nature of human–wildlife relationships. We carried out a qualitative analysis of human–leopard interactions based on...

Satellite telemetry is an increasingly utilized technology in wildlife research, and current devices can track individual animal movements at unprecedented spatial and temporal resolutions. However, as we enter the golden age of satellite telemetry, we need an in-depth understanding of the main technological, species-specific and environmental fact...

R-code for boosted beta regression (Fix acquisition rate). (R)

Covariate partial effects on the variability of the fix acquisition rate. (PDF)

Tagged individuals per species. (PDF)

Covariate partial effects on the variability of the Overall fix success rate. (PDF)

Trends in observed data. (PDF)

Global dataset for boosted beta regressions. (CSV)

Description of data fields in S1 Data. (CSV)

Satellite telemetry articles published. (PDF)

Distribution of response variables and covariates. (PDF)

Unit purchase and operation costs. (PDF)

R-code for boosted beta regression (Overall fix success rate). (R)

Standardized data collection questionnaire. (PDF)

Satellite telemetry evaluations. (PDF)

The current protected area (PA) network is not sufficient to ensure long‐term persistence of wide‐ranging carnivore populations. Within India, this is particularly the case for species that inhabit nonforested areas since PAs disproportionately over‐represent forested ecosystems. With growing consideration of human‐use landscapes as potential habit...

Large carnivores of the genus Panthera can pose serious threats to public safety. Although the annual number of attacks on humans is rare compared to livestock depredation, such incidents undermine popular support for wildlife conservation and require immediate responses to protect human life. We used a space–time scan method to perform a novel spa...

In this article we describe the belief in the presence of a large cat diety; Waghoba, which appears to be geographically widespread in western India and is still revered today. It is a very old cultural institution which according to many interviewees was at least many centuries old. The people had a deep belief that the large cat; a leopard Panthe...

There is increasing evidence of large carnivores using human-use areas, but our understanding of their ecology in such landscapes is limited. The role of wild and domestic prey in sustaining populations of carnivores in human-use landscapes could be significant but is currently poorly documented. We studied the prey composition and diet selection o...

Approaches for resolving incidences of human-wildlife conflict such as predator attacks on people or livestock typically use methods that address physical loss but ignore social, cultural, and emotional trauma. To holistically and more permanently alleviate conflicts, wildlife management agencies and other conservation practitioners require resourc...

The nature of media reporting can have a serious impact on the policy and management of wildlife and other conservation issues, perhaps especially in areas where large charismatic wildlife still persist amongst a high-density human population. This study used qualitative content analysis to evaluate whether a series of media workshops had an impact...

There is increasing evidence of the importance of multi-use landscapes for the conservation of large carnivores. However, when carnivore ranges overlap with high density of humans, there are often serious conservation challenges. This is especially true in countries like India where loss of peoples' lives and property to large wildlife are not unco...

There is increasing evidence of the importance of multi-use landscapes for the conservation of large carnivores. However, when carnivore ranges overlap with high density of humans, there are often serious conservation challenges. This is especially true in countries like India where loss of peoples’ lives and property to large wildlife are not unco...

Lag model comparing leopard translocations and attacks. Auto Correlation plot of month of leopard translocations and leopard attacks on people between January 2009 and March 2015. (TIF)

Covariate development. (PDF)

Model average estimates of covariates influencing probability of habitat use. Ψ: Probability of habitat-use; house.D: density of houses/buildings; house.nbr: mean density of houses/buildings in neighboring cells; θ0: probability of leopard presence in a replicate conditional on absence in the previous replicate; θ1: probability of leopard presence...

Trail survey protocol. Data collection protocol during sign surveys. (PDF)

Covariate value comparison in sites with leopard attacks on people versus sites with no attacks. Box-plots showing (a). Density of houses (b). Mean density of houses in neighboring cells, (c). Distance to highest ground vegetation cover, and (d). Mean distance to high ground vegetation cover in neighboring cells in sites with leopard attacks and si...

Effect of human population, distance to forest and size of tea-plantation on occurrence of leopard attacks on people. Box-plots showing effect of (a). Human population (b). distance to forest patch and (c). size of tea-estate/village on the number of leopard attacks on people. (TIF)

There is increasing evidence of large carnivore presence outside protected areas, globally. Although this spells conservation success through population recoveries, it makes carnivore persistence in human-use landscapes tenuous. The widespread distribution of leopards in certain regions of India typifies this problem. We obtained information on leo...

Media workshops to improve reporting of human–wildlife interactions - Volume 49 Issue 4 - Vidya Athreya, Divya Vasudev

Understanding the nature of the interactions between humans and wildlife is of vital importance for conflict mitigation. We equipped five leopards with GPS-collars in Maharashtra (4) and Himachal Pradesh (1), India, to study movement patterns in human-dominated landscapes outside protected areas. An adult male and an adult female were both transloc...

Although leopard photo-capture rate was higher in our study area, the number of conflict in- cidents involving humans or livestock is lower than that in the other areas. Lower conflict incidence in the Valparai land- scape may be due to higher prey abun- dance and fewer households owning livestock and because livestock are fre- quently accompanied...

This pilot project has been coordinated by The Norwegian Institute of Nature Research (NINA) in close collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre (NBIC), The Nature History Museum at the University of Oslo (NHM), the Wildlife Conservation Society- India Program (WCS) and the Centre for Wil...

This guide is a product of the Indo-Norwegian project "Capacity building for Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)" focussed on capacity building in biodiversity informatics for enhanced decision-making, improved nature conservation and sustainable development. The pilot-project is actively supported by both the...

Tigers (Panthera tigris) are wide-ranging species, and a permeable landscape matrix outside Protected Areas (PAs) is extremely important for their dispersal. A tigress which had fallen in a water duct in the Nagpur district was rescued by the Forest Department on 12th October, 2011 and released on 27th November, 2011 in a forest adjacent to the sit...

Attempts to minimize the effects of human–wildlife conflict (HWC) on conservation goals require an understanding of the mechanisms by which such conflicts are caused and sustained. This necessitates looking beyond the natural sciences to the human dimensions of wildlife management. Public dissemination of information regarding HWC occurs largely th...

Capture history matrices for leopard and hyaena. (DOC)

Free-ranging dogs (Canis familiaris) are a major conservation issue in the tropics and adopt many ecological roles, alternatively functioning as predators, prey, or competitors of wildlife in diverse environments. Dogs are also potential reservoirs of disease that can be transmitted to both wildlife and people. Therefore a range of management inter...

Four leopards (Panthera pardus fusca (Meyer 1794)) were tranquilised as part of a leopard ecology project at Maharashtra, India, to develop a database from which conservation plans could be developed to manage human leopard conflict. A mixture of Ketamine hydrochloride and Xylazine hydrochloride, at a dose rate of 5 mg and 1.5 mg per kg respectivel...

We examined the efficacy of a translocation program in which large numbers of leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) were trapped in human-dominated landscapes where livestock attacks were common and human attacks rare and released into adjoining forested areas in an attempt to reduce leopard presence and mitigate conflicts at the capture site. In the ye...

GPS – GSM collars (Vectronics aerospace GPS Plus I) with Lotek pre-programmed drop-off mechanism were used on five leopards trapped in Western Maharashtra. An international SIM card was used to access all available mobile networks. The collar weighed a total of 650 gms. The caged animals were darted with a blowpipe using ketamine (~ 5 mg/kg) and xy...

In India, leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) inhabit human-dominated landscapes, resulting in encounters that require interventions to prevent harm to people, as well as the leopards. Immobilization is a prerequisite for any such intervention. Such emergency field immobilizations have to be carried out with limited tools, often amidst large uncontrol...

Leopards are the most widely distributed of the large cats, ranging from Africa to the Russian Far East. Because of habitat fragmentation, high human population densities and the inherent adaptability of this species, they now occupy landscapes close to human settlements. As a result, they are the most common species involved in human wildlife conf...

In the past decade, parts of many Indian states have reported an increase in leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) populations outside forests accompanied by large numbers of attacks on people. This high density was attributed to declining natural habitats and prey species, and the increased survival of leopards in croplands where they preyed on tended a...

3 Further, they have a long interval between litters and produce few young of which even fewer survive until adulthood. This combined with human induced factors such as habitat destruction and active persecution severely depresses their numbers. Even as we expect wild animals to be confined to an existence inside forests, some species like hyenas,...

"A raging debate continues between social and wildlife scientists in our country on the relocation of people from parks to decrease conflicting interests of wildlife conservation and the local people. The goal of such relocations is to enhance the conservation of threatened species like the tiger. Another facet of the same issue which is as importa...

Strangler fig density varied considerably in the evergreen forest of Karian Shola National Park, southern India, with 11 individuals ha−1 in an open trail area and 5.6 individuals ha−1 within the primary forest area. The index of light level was assessed by estimating the percentage of upper canopy cover along the longitudinal centre of ten, 500-m...

Frugivory observations were conducted at fruiting strangler figs in Karian Shola National Park in the Anaimalai hills from January to March 1993. A total of 123 hours of fruit use by frugivores was observed at fruiting trees of four species of Ficus. Frugivore activity was seen throughout the day with a major peak in visitation between 7.00 AM and...

First record of Cheer Pheasant in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary is reported

Typescript. Thesis (M.S.)--University of Iowa, 2000. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 45-48).