Spacing and activity patterns of leopards Panthera pardus in the Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal

Abstract

Abstract Space use and activity of radio-collared leopards Panthera pardus (two adult males and one adult female) were monitored during 3–25 months in a prey-rich part of the Royal Bardia National Park, Nepal. Annual home ranges of the two males were 47 and 48 km2 and had an overlap of only 7%, whereas the overlap between the female's home range (17 km2) and that of one of the males was 56%. The range sizes were larger than reported from other studies in southeast Asia, but much smaller than some ranges in Africa. When comparing different studies, the sexual difference in range size increased significantly with increasing average range size. Thus, the cost by males of traversing large home ranges is probably not a determinant factor in shaping leopard communities. The female's seasonal home ranges (5.2 and 6.6 km2) were smallest during the seasons when her cubs were less than six months of age. She moved her home range closer to agricultural fields during the season when the abundant and important prey ax...