Prey selection by leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in the mid-hill region of Nepal

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dc.citation.issue2
dc.citation.volume14
dc.contributor.authorBaral K
dc.contributor.authorBhandari S
dc.contributor.authorAdhikari B
dc.contributor.authorKunwar RM
dc.contributor.authorSharma HP
dc.contributor.authorAryal A
dc.contributor.authorJi W
dc.coverage.spatialEngland
dc.date.accessioned2024-02-21T19:02:03Z
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-25T06:40:45Z
dc.date.available2024-02-05
dc.date.available2024-02-21T19:02:03Z
dc.date.available2024-07-25T06:40:45Z
dc.date.issued2024-02-05
dc.description.abstractInformation on prey selection and the diet of the leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) is essential for leopard conservation. We conducted an investigation into the prey species and the proportion of each species in the leopard's diet in a human-dominated mid-hill region of Nepal. The analysis of 96 leopard scats collected between August 2020 and March 2021 revealed that leopards consumed 15 prey species, including small- and medium-sized mammals and livestock. In addition to these prey species, we also found plastic materials, bird feathers, and some unidentified items in the leopard scats. Wild ungulates (such as barking deer, Muntiacus muntjak and wild boar, Sus scrofa) constituted only 10% of the biomass in the scats, while livestock contributed 27%, and other wild prey contributed 50%. Among all species, domestic goats had the highest relative biomass in the scats, followed by the jungle cat (Felis chaus), domestic dog (Canis familiaris), and large Indian civet (Viverra zibetha). Similarly, the Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis) had the highest proportion of relative individuals present in the scat samples, followed by the jungle cat and the large Indian civet. A lower proportion of biomass from wild ungulates in the leopard's diet and a higher dependency of the leopard on domestic prey and other wild prey indicate a shortage of medium-sized wild prey, such as barking deer and wild boar, in leopard habitats. Therefore, the conservation of wild prey species, especially medium-sized prey, is crucial for reducing the leopard's dependence on livestock and mitigating human-leopard conflicts in the future.
dc.description.confidentialfalse
dc.edition.editionFebruary 2024
dc.format.paginatione10924-
dc.identifier.author-urlhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38322006
dc.identifier.citationBaral K, Bhandari S, Adhikari B, Kunwar RM, Sharma HP, Aryal A, Ji W. (2024). Prey selection by leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in the mid-hill region of Nepal.. Ecol Evol. 14. 2. (pp. e10924-).
dc.identifier.doi10.1002/ece3.10924
dc.identifier.eissn2045-7758
dc.identifier.elements-typejournal-article
dc.identifier.issn2045-7758
dc.identifier.numbere10924
dc.identifier.piiECE310924
dc.identifier.urihttps://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/70662
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherJohn Wiley and Sons Ltd
dc.publisher.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.10924
dc.relation.isPartOfEcol Evol
dc.rights(c) 2024 The Author/s
dc.rightsCC BY 4.0
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectdiet
dc.subjectleopard
dc.subjectlivestock
dc.subjectscat
dc.subjectwild prey
dc.titlePrey selection by leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) in the mid-hill region of Nepal
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.elements-id486363
pubs.organisational-groupOther
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