Home range, habitat use and capture-release of translocated leopards in Gir landscape, Gujarat, India.

Understanding the spatial ecology of translocated leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) is crucial for their conservation and the effective assessment of conflict management strategies. We investigated the home range and habitat preferences of five radio-collared leopards (n = 5; 2 males; 3 females) in the Gir landscape. Additionally, we examined the usefulness of the capture-release strategy for these animals. We assessed home range and habitat selection using kernel density estimation (at 95% and 50% levels) and compositional analysis. Our findings revealed that leopards exhibited distinct patterns of movement, often returning to their original capture site or nearby locations or exploring new areas within 3 to 25 days, covering distances ranging from 48 to 260 km. The average home range (95% FK) was estimated at 103.96±36.37 (SE) km2, with a core area usage (50% FK) of 21.38±5.95 km2. Seasonally, we observed the largest home ranges during summer and the smallest during winter. Males exhibited larger home ranges (95% FK, 151±64.28 km2) compared to females (56.18±14.22 km2). The habitat analysis indicated that agricultural areas were consistently preferred in the multi-use landscape at the 2nd order habitat selection level. Additionally, habitat around water bodies was highly favoured at the 3rd order, with distinct variations in habitat selection observed during day and night. This study highlights the significance of riverine and scrubland habitats, as leopards exhibited strong preferences for these habitats within their home ranges. We emphasize the importance of conserving natural habitat patches, particularly those surrounding water bodies. We also report on the characteristics of the capture-release strategy and provide our observations indicating no escalated aggression by leopards' post-release. In conclusion, this study evaluates widely employed approaches to conflict mitigation and suggests the continuous review and assessment of management strategies for mitigating human-leopard conflicts.

Living on the sea-coast: ranging and habitat distribution of Asiatic lions.

Endangered Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) are renowned for their resilience and as a flagship of successful conservation and management. Lions dispersing out of the Gir forest have established themselves in the coastal habitats for about 25 years. We propose that the home range and spatial distribution of lions inhabiting the coastal habitats would be distinct from the forested habitats of the protected area. Each individual was monitored for an average of 367.2 ± 99.05 days from 2019 to 2021. The mean core area was 33.8 km2 (50% FK, SE 8.7 km2) and the overall average range was 171.8 km2 (90% FK, SE 40.5 km2). The home ranges were significantly larger for lions residing in the coastal area compared to lions in the protected area. The lion distribution model was built on MaxEnt, and inputs included location fixes of lions and variables, including 18 land use categories and Euclidean distance to linear infrastructures and human settlements. Lions were shown to use forest habitat patches extensively, followed by available habitats around water sources and wasteland. The study highlights the importance of corridors connecting to the Gir protected area and the importance of coastal forest patches for lion conservation and management.

Conservation Management of the Endangered Asiatic Lions in Gujarat, India, Using GPS Satellite Telemetry.

Endangered Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) are found in the Asiatic Lion Landscape, Gujarat, which includes protected areas and a multi-use land matrix. Therefore, monitoring lions' space-use and spatio-temporal location is vital for managing various facets of human-lion interaction. Our study demonstrates how this was achieved by tracking lions using GPS radio-collars, triggering prompt action via an efficient communication network across political and forest administrative boundaries. We monitored the movement of 19 individual lions for 436.5 ± 32 days and also derived the mean daily activity from three-axis accelerometer-based activity-sensing feature of a radio-collar. We also monitored geofence breaches. We proposed that immobility and movement are two aspects that generate management action on the ground. While the movement is related to ranging and dispersal, immobility is a situation related to either the animal's feeding or its health status. From a management standpoint, we discussed the efficacy of the virtual geofence in preventing accidents when lions moved and also presented the advantages of being able to track dispersal through a case study of sub-adult lions. To strengthen our response to lion immobility, we developed a predictive model that specifically highlights an individual lion's health status and makes the alert response more precise. In conclusion, we critically reviewed the capabilities provided by GPS telemetry and provide protocols that help in the conservation management of lions and that will also have a wider application.