Abstract
Tiger (Panthera tigris), an endangered species, is under severe threat from poaching, habitat loss, prey depletion and habitat disturbance. Such factors have been reported causing local extermination of tiger populations including in one of the most important reserves in India, namely Sariska Tiger Reserve (STR) in northwestern India. Consequently, tigers were reintroduced in STR between 2008 and 2010, but inadequate breeding success was observed over the years, thus invoking an investigation to ascertain physiological correlates. In the present study, we report glucocorticoid stress responses of the reintroduced tigers in relation to anthropogenic disturbance in the STR from 2011 to 2013. We found anthropogenic disturbance such as encounter rates of livestock and humans, distance to roads and efforts to kill domestic livestock associated with an elevation in fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations in the monitored tigers. In this regard, female tigers seem more sensitive to such disturbance than males. It was possible to discern that tiger’s fGCM levels were significantly positively related to the time spent in disturbed areas. Resulting management recommendations include relocation of villages from core areas and restriction of all anthropogenic activities in the entire STR.
Highlights
Reintroduction of any species to its former geographic range, where it was locally exterminated, is the last resort for conservation biologists and wildlife managers interested in species recovery programs
The study revealed that the tigers reintroduced in Sariska are affected by anthropogenic disturbances causing an enhanced stress response
We cannot exclude the possibility of sex [50] or potential body size-related differences in fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) output, it seems that female tigers are more susceptible to the monitored anthropogenic disturbances than males, as fGCM elevation appeared more distinctively in females during domestic livestock kills, moving in disturbed areas and while encountering humans and livestock
Summary
Reintroduction of any species to its former geographic range, where it was locally exterminated, is the last resort for conservation biologists and wildlife managers interested in species recovery programs. Reintroduction of carnivores is considered to be a more effective step towards conservation and restoring integrity of natural ecosystems [1] because large carnivores maintain ecological balance as apex predators in e.g. forest areas [2]. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0127626 June 10, 2015
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