Abstract
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 translocated 52 km, and exhibited extensive, and directional, post release movements (straight line movements: male = 89 km in 37 days, female = 45 km in 5 months), until they settled in home ranges of 42 km2 (male) and 65 km2 (female). The three other leopards, two adult females and a young male were released close to their capture sites and used small home ranges of 8 km2 (male), 11 km2 and 15 km2 (females). Movement patterns were markedly nocturnal, with hourly step lengths averaging 339±9.5 m (SE) during night and 60±4.1 m during day, and night locations were significantly closer to human settlements than day locations. However, more nocturnal movements were observed among those three living in the areas with high human population densities. These visited houses regularly at nighttime (20% of locations <25 m from houses), but rarely during day (<1%). One leopard living in a sparsely populated area avoided human settlements both day and night. The small home ranges of the leopards indicate that anthropogenic food resources may be plentiful although wild prey is absent. The study provides clear insights into the ability of leopards to live and move in landscapes that are extremely modified by human activity.
Highlights
In Europe and North America, it has long been understood that the conservation of highly mobile wildlife species, especially the large carnivores, will require substantial populations to range across multi-use landscapes outside protected areas that are not large enough to support viable populations
There is an emerging body of evidence showing that large carnivores can thrive in multi-use landscapes in tropical countries[5,6]
We provide data on home range sizes and investigate leopard movements in relation to the distribution of human settlements
Summary
In Europe and North America, it has long been understood that the conservation of highly mobile wildlife species, especially the large carnivores, will require substantial populations to range across multi-use landscapes outside protected areas that are not large enough to support viable populations. Range use in relation to the distribution of human settlements we mapped and digitized (from Google Earth and ground based surveys) all residential houses within the home ranges of four leopards, and measured the distances from all GPS fixes to the nearest house.
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