Carnivores ecology, Scavenger ecology and ecosystem services, Species interaction, Trophic interaction, Trophic Cascade, Population ecology, Human-Carnivore interaction and Coexistence
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Scopus Publications
Scopus Publications
Night is my boon: Preliminary observations and temporal activity patterns of the elusive mouse deer Moschiola indica and few other terrestrial mammals along the Moyar River part of Mudumalai, Western Ghats Kannadasan Narasimmarajan, Narasimmarajan Natasha, Debashish Panda, Arumugam Kumaraguru Mammalia, 2026 The ecology of Asia’s smallest ungulate, the mouse deer ( Moschiola indica ), remains poorly documented. We assessed the occurrence and temporal activity patterns of mouse deer using camera-trap survey data obtained from four camera traps deployed along the Moyar River within the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve. The calculated photo capture rate of mouse deer was 1.35 photos/100 trap nights, 0.22 for the Stripe-necked mongoose ( Urva vitticolla ), and 0.18 for both the Indian crested porcupine ( Hystrix indica ) and Sloth bear ( Melursus ursinus ). Mouse deer and stripe-necked mongooses were predominantly nocturnal; however, mouse deer exhibited heightened midnight activity between 2200 and 0400 h. Stripe-necked mongooses showed a comparable pattern, with peak activity between 2300 and 0300 h and secondary peak around 0630 h. Temporal activity pattern overlaps between the M. indica and U. vitticolla was estimated at Δ 1 = 0.53 ± 0.08 SE (95 % bootstrap CI: 0.38–0.69). Although caution is warranted due to the limited sampling effort of this study, our findings underscore the importance of conserving riverine habitats. Furthermore, information on temporal activity patterns can contribute to improved monitoring and management of cryptic forest-dwelling ungulates.
High striped hyena density suggests coexistence with humans in an agricultural landscape, Rajasthan Debashish Panda, Subham Mohanty, Tanuj Suryan, Puneet Pandey, Hang Lee, Randeep Singh Plos One, 2022 Understanding the mechanism of coexistence, where carnivores adapt to humans and vice versa in the shared landscape, is a key determinant of long-term carnivore conservation but is yet to be comprehensively examined. We explored the coexistence mechanism of striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) and humans in the shared landscape of Sawai Mansingh Wildlife Sanctuary (SMS WLS), Rajasthan, from November 2019 to March 2021. We used data derived from motion sensors-based surveys, satellite remote sensing images, and household questionnaires to understand socio-ecological, environmental and anthropogenic factors facilitating hyena persistence in the shared landscape. The high density (12 individuals/100 km2) striped hyena in the landscape revealed the coexistence with humans. Being scavengers, they get subsidised food sources and are perceived as low-risk species by humans. Striped hyena minimised temporal activity during the daytime when human activity peaked. However, the highest activity overlap was observed in the agricultural area (Δ1 = 0.39), and likely depicts the high activity due to agricultural practices. While the human settlement was positively associated with the detection of hyenas, the probability of striped hyena captures increased with decreasing distance from human settlement, possibly influenced by high carcass availability, providing the easiest food resources to striped hyena, and allowing them to coexist with humans. This study demonstrates the coexistence of hyenas and humans in the shared landscape supported by mutual benefits, where hyenas benefit from anthropogenic food from scavenging, while humans benefit from waste removal and the non-lethal nature hyenas.
