The status, distribution and conservation of the tiger Panthera tigris in Bhutan

Abstract

The tiger Panthera tigris is the top carnivore in Bhutan, where it occurs from the foothills of the Himalayas at an altitude of 200 m in the south to over 3000 m in the north. It has a wide distribution and its range includes savannah grasslands, sub-tropical and temperate forests. It feeds on a variety of prey species ranging in size from the barking deer Muntiacus muntjak to the gaur Bos gaurus. Attacks on domestic yak are not uncommon and are the cause of conflict with herdsmen, who treat the tiger as vermin and eliminate it using poison. There are estimated to be between 150 and 250 tigers in Bhutan. In prime habitats, as in the Royal Manas National Park, the tiger can exist at a density of 4·5 100 km −2. As with other large predators, the basis for conservation must be a separation of human settlements and wildlife reserves. Given this background, the emphasis must be to maintain forest cover over large areas where remoteness, difficulty of terrain and density of cover provide natural protection. Not all small populations are necessarily doomed. The overall prospects for the tiger appear good in Bhutan provided deforestation is carefully controlled. In order to succeed, protection of conservation areas should be accompanied by measures to improve the living standards of the people.