Non-exploitative human disturbance provides shelter for prey from predator.

Human activities can influence behaviors of predators and prey, as well as predator-prey interactions. Using camera trap data, we investigated whether or to what extent human activities influenced behaviors of predators (tigers and leopards) and prey (sambar deer, spotted deer, wild boar, and barking deer), and predator-prey interactions in the Barandabhar Corridor Forest (BCF), Chitwan District, Nepal. A multispecies occupancy model revealed that the presence of humans altered the conditional occupancy of both prey and predator species. Specifically, the conditional occupancy probability of prey was substantially higher (ψ = 0.91, CI = 0.89-0.92) when humans were present than when humans were absent (ψ = 0.68, CI = 0.54-0.79). The diel activity pattern of most prey species overlapped strongly with humans, whereas predators were generally more active when humans were absent. Finally, the spatiotemporal overlap analysis revealed that human-prey interactions (i.e., the probability that both humans and prey species being present on the same grid at the same hourly period) was ~3 times higher (10.5%, CI = 10.4%-10.6%) compared to spatiotemporal overlap between humans and predators (3.1%, CI = 3.0%-3.2%). Our findings are consistent with the human shield hypothesis and suggest that ungulate prey species may reduce predation risk by using areas with high human activities.

Prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among greater one-horned rhino in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Recently, many individuals of greater one-horned rhino (GOHR) were died with unknown reason in Chitwan National Park (CNP), Nepal. This has arisen chaos and confusion in the rhino conservation program of the country. This study was designed to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among GOHR in the CNP. A total of 100 dung samples were collected opportunistically by the random sampling method. Dung samples were preserved in 2.5% potassium dichromate solution and analysed in the laboratory by the direct smear and concentration method (floatation and sedimentation). Eggs and larvae of gastrointestinal parasite were found in 91% examined samples. Altogether 13 different genera of parasites were identified with one protozoan i.e. Eimeria sp. (9%), nine nematodes i.e. Strongyloides sp. (65%), Ascaris sp. (16%), Haemonchus sp. (15%), Dromeostrongylus sp. (9%), Oxyuris sp. (8%), Bunostomum sp. (8%), Chabertia sp. (5%), Trichostrongylus sp. (4%) and Nematodirus sp. (2%), one cestode i.e. Anoplocephala sp. (16%) and two trematodes i.e. Paramphistomum sp. (31%) and Fasciola sp. (14%). Nematode parasites were found to be most prevalent (87% of samples) followed by trematodes (45%), cestodes (16%) and protozoans (9%). The study indicates a high prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in the GOHR of CNP and identifies that there is need of strategic control measures to protect this endangered species from parasitic infection.

Asymmetric allelic introgression across a hybrid zone of the coal tit (Periparus ater) in the central Himalayas.

In the Himalayas, a number of secondary contact zones have been described for vicariant vertebrate taxa. However, analyses of genetic divergence and admixture are missing for most of these examples. In this study, we provide a population genetic analysis for the coal tit (Periparus ater) hybrid zone in Nepal. Intermediate phenotypes between the distinctive western "spot-winged tit" (P. a. melanolophus) and Eastern Himalayan coal tits (P. a. aemodius) occur across a narrow range of <100 km in western Nepal. As a peculiarity, another distinctive cinnamon-bellied form is known from a single population so far. Genetic admixture of western and eastern mitochondrial lineages was restricted to the narrow zone of phenotypically intermediate populations. The cline width was estimated 46 km only with a center close to the population of the cinnamon-bellied phenotype. In contrast, allelic introgression of microsatellite loci was asymmetrical from eastern P. a. aemodius into far western populations of phenotypic P. a. melanolophus but not vice versa. Accordingly, the microsatellite cline was about 3.7 times wider than the mitochondrial one.