Progress 01/01/04 to 09/30/09

Outputs
OUTPUTS: : The ecology of the leopard was studied from 2002 to 2006 in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India. Density estimates of the potential prey species of leopards and its sympatric carnivores, the tiger and wild dog, were made using line-transect sampling in three habitat types. The results obtained by vehicle transects were compared with those of foot transects to determine which method provided the most reliable prey density estimates. Among the ungulates, chital density was higher in moist deciduous and teak dominated habitat, while sambar density was higher in the teak dominated habitat. There were no significant differences in the densities of nilgai, wild pig and muntjac in the three habitat types examined. The food habits and prey preferences of leopards, wild dogs and tigers were quantified from an analysis of fecal material (scats). Sambar was the most preferred prey species by leopards, as well as by tigers and wild dogs. Density estimates of leopards for four sites in Bori-Satpura and one site in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, were made using camera-traps in a mark-recapture framework. Leopard density estimates varied from 4.2 to 9.3 per 100 square kilometers at four sites in Saptura NP, compared to 21 to 31 per 100 square kilometers in Sariska Tiger Reserve. A predictive habitat suitability map for leopards was made at two scales using Environmental Niche Factor Analysis, which is a presence-only method. The results of this analysis showed that at the small scale, habitat use by leopards in Satpura was strongly associated with moist and teak forests, as well as with most prey species, and was weakly negatively associated with the distance to villages. At the larger scale, leopard habitat use was positively associated with terrain ruggedness, sambar availability and percentage of forested areas. This information was then used to quantify the extent and location of potential leopard habitat available for conservation action in south-central Madhya Pradesh. Approximately 11,500 square kilometers of habitat is predicted to be suitable to support leopard populations, with the most optimal habitats consisting of large contiguous habitat tracts. PARTICIPANTS: : Advait Edgaonkar, completed all requirements for doctoral degree in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Mel Sunquist, Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Dr. Ravi Chellam and Qamar Qureshi, Wildlife Institute of India. TARGET AUDIENCES: Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh, Ministry of Environment, Government of India, and other state and government agencies responsible for conservation and management of wildlife in India. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: No significant changes to project protocols to report.

Impacts
To help conserve endangered and threatened species it is essential to understand their basic ecology. The leopard is under great threat in India from poaching and habitat destruction. Despite being a large charismatic carnivore, little research has done on this species in India. This study provided baseline estimates of prey abundance, which resource managers can use to monitor prey populations. Prey densities are good predictors of carnivore densities. The dietary preference of leopards was illuminated. This study also provided the first rigorous estimate of leopard density for the region. The construction of a predictive habitat model indicated the amount and nature of habitat that is available for the conservation of leopards in south-central Madhya Pradesh. This information will be useful for the conservation authorities in India to help manage leopard populations.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 10/01/07 to 09/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: OUTPUTS: The ecology of the leopard was studied from 2002 to 2006 in Bori Wildlife Sanctuary and Satpura National Park in Madhya Pradesh, India. Density estimates of the potential prey species of leopards and its sympatric carnivores, the tiger and wild dog, were made using line-transect sampling in three habitat types. The results obtained by vehicle transects were compared with those of foot transects to determine which method provided the most reliable prey density estimates. Among the ungulates, chital density was higher in moist deciduous and teak dominated habitat, while sambar density was higher in the teak dominated habitat. There were no significant differences in the densities of nilgai, wild pig and muntjac in the three habitat types examined. The food habits and prey preferences of leopards, wild dogs and tigers were quantified from an analysis of fecal material (scats). Sambar was the most preferred prey species by leopards, as well as by tigers and wild dogs. Density estimates of leopards for four sites in Bori-Satpura and one site in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, were made using camera-traps in a mark-recapture framework. Leopard density estimates varied from 4.2 to 9.3 per 100 square kilometers at four sites in Saptura NP, compared to 21 to 31 per 100 square kilometers in Sariska Tiger Reserve. A predictive habitat suitability map for leopards was made at two scales using Environmental Niche Factor Analysis, which is a presence-only method. The results of this analysis showed that at the small scale, habitat use by leopards in Satpura was strongly associated with moist and teak forests, as well as with most prey species, and was weakly negatively associated with the distance to villages. At the larger scale, leopard habitat use was positively associated with terrain ruggedness, sambar availability and percentage of forested areas. This information was then used to quantify the extent and location of potential leopard habitat available for conservation action in south-central Madhya Pradesh. Approximately 11,500 square kilometers of habitat is predicted to be suitable to support leopard populations, with the most optimal habitats consisting of large contiguous habitat tracts. PARTICIPANTS: Advait Edgaonkar, Doctoral candidate in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Mel Sunquist, Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Dr. Ravi Chellam and Qamar Qureshi, Wildlife Institute of India. TARGET AUDIENCES: Forest Department of Madhya Pradesh, Ministry of Environment, Government of India, and other state and government agencies responsible for conservation and management of wildlife in India. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
IMPACTS: To help conserve endangered and threatened species it is essential to understand their basic ecology. The leopard is under great threat in India from poaching and habitat destruction. Despite being a large charismatic carnivore, little research has done on this species in India. This study provided baseline estimates of prey abundance, which resource managers can use to monitor prey populations. Prey densities are good predictors of carnivore densities. The dietary preference of leopards was illuminated. This study also provided the first rigorous estimate of leopard density for the region. The construction of a predictive habitat model indicated the amount and nature of habitat that is available for the conservation of leopards in south-central Madhya Pradesh. This information will be useful for the conservation authorities in India to help manage leopard populations.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 10/01/06 to 09/30/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: This study was designed to investigate the impact of translocating nuisance Florida black bears and to evaluate the effectiveness of using translocation as a management tool to reduce human-bear conflicts. Forty-one bears (33 males, 8 females) were captured and translocated to the Ocala National Forest (ONF) in central Florida. The rate of nuisance recidivism was fairly high; nearly half of all translocated bears engaged in a nuisance event at least once post-released and 34 percent were involved in nuisance events more than once. Thirteen bears (8M, 5F) (32 percent) returned to their capture area after release. Bears that returned home had a shorter average translocation distance (less than 64 km) than those bears that did not return home (more than 64 km). An additional 13 bears remained within ONF and 37 percent left ONF, but did not return home. There were no significant differences in survival rates for males and females. Survival rates for males were comparable to those reported for resident male bears in ONF. A survey of 19 homeowners found that they continued to have bear conflicts within one year of a bear being removed from their property and 7 of these responded that they had a conflict occur in less than a month. No one from the remaining 13 households called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to complain of future conflicts; however the survey revealed that they continued to have conflicts but did not report them to the FWC. PARTICIPANTS: Kim M. Annis. Master's student in Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Mel Sunquist. Professor, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF. Walter McCown. Florida Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL. TARGET AUDIENCES: General public in Florida, effort to educate public about ways to reduce/eliminate bear attractants on their property. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Bear Management Section. Information from this study will be useful to help them refine and modify their management practices regarding nuisance black bears.

Impacts
Considering the mediocre success of using translocaton to eliminate nuisance behaviors in Florida black bears, efforts may be better focused on community education and outreach, and other non-lethal management efforts, to eliminate nuisance behavior at the site of conflict. Educational programs targeted at changing human behavior would not only be useful in reducing human-bear conflicts, but would also help promote the coexistence of bear near communities in the long term. In addition, the creation of regulations implementing the widespread use of bear-resistant garbage bins in areas where conflicts are likely to occur can cultivate the proper storage of bear attractants. Where conflicts are unavoidable, and non-lethal tools are not available, management agencies need to educate the public to accept that lethal control may be a necessity. In this way public focus can be shifted from managing the individual to the management of the whole population. As Florida's human population grows, habitat fragmentation and loss will increase human-bear interactions throughout the state, and long-term solutions should be sought to prevent interactions from becoming conflicts. Long-term solutions can foster public support for bears and contribute significantly to bear conservation and management in Florida.

Publications

• Annis, K.M., M. E. Sunquist and W. M. Giuliano. 2007. Living with the Florida black bear: a homeowner's guide to nuisance bear prevention. EDIS document UW250.

Progress 10/01/05 to 09/30/06

Outputs
A total of 43 black bears were trapped in locations associated with nuisance activities. Of these, 42 (33 males, 9 females) were then relocated to one of three Florida Wildlife Conservation Commisssion approved release sites in the Ocala National Forest. To date, nine bears (7 males, 2 females) have died; two bears (1 male, 1 female) were euthanized by the FWCC due to the intensity of their nuisance behaviors post-released, two males males were killed illegally, one is presumed to have been killed illegally, two (1 male, 1 female) were killed by vehicles, one male died in a wild fire, and one female appears to have died of natural causes. Thirteen (7 males, 6 females) returned to their original capture area and three of the males engaged in nuisance activities upon return. Twenty bears were found to have engaged in a nuisance activity at least once post-release. Ten bears (8 males, 2 females) are currently being tracked and will continue to be monitored until the end of December 2006.

Impacts
This study is the first in Florida to examine whether relocating nuisance black bears is effective in reducing or eliminating nuisance behavior and its impacts on relocated bears. Acquiring this information is critical to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the US Forest Service for effective bear and forest management. The results of this study will also provide information to enhance efforts to educate residents and forest visitors about some of the impacts of negative human-bear interactions.

Publications

• No publications reported this period

Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/05

Outputs
We studied Florida black bears in two areas in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem in southeast Georgia and north Florida to evaluate relationships between population characteristics, habitat conditions, and human activities. Bears in Okefenokee were hunted and those in Osceola were not. We captured 205 different black bears 345 times, and obtained 13,573 radiolocations from 87 (16 males, 71 females) individual bears during the study. In Okefenokee, black gum and saw palmetto fruits were the most important foods. In Osceola, corm from deer feeders was the staple, but saw palmetto was heavily used when available. Adult bears in Osceola were 29% heavier than those in Okefenokee, which reflects access to a steady food supply. Similarly, the mean annual home-range size for Osceola females was 30 square kilometers, varied little seasonally and was almost half that of Okefenokee females (56 square kilometers). The annual survival rate of radiocollared males in Okefenokee was 0.71 compared to 0.89 for radiocollared females in Okefenokee. The survival rate for females in Osceola was 0.97. Following a black gum shortage, only 1 of 15 radiocollared females in Okefenokee produced gums. In contrast, following a year with heavy black gum production, 21 of 22 radiocollared females produced cubs. Using DNA collected at hair traps, mark-recapture models produced estimates of 71 bears (95% CI = 59-91) in Okefenokee and 44 bears (95% CI = 40-57) in Osceola. Our mark-recapture data from Osceola suggest a high dispersal rate by subadult bears. We documented bears in Okefenokee that originated from Osceola but not the reverse. We speculate that bears from the interior of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and to some extent northern Florida, serve as a source to the population sink caused by hunting mortality in Okefenokee and in the surrounding Georgia counties.

Impacts
We suggest that metapopulation processes among the various subpopulations be given greater consideration with regard to the potential listing of the black bear, with the ultimate goal of managing the subspecies as a unit rather than as an assemblage of independent components. Our study also illustrates the importance of travel corridors for maintaining metapopulation processes.

Publications

• Dolby, S., D. V. Masters, B. K. Scheick, J. D. Clark, M. R. Pelton, and M. E. Sunquist. 2005. Ecology of Florida black bears in the Okefenokee-Osceola ecosystem. Wildlife Monographs No.158: 1-41.

Progress 10/01/03 to 09/30/04

Outputs
The joint project between the University of Florida and the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Park provided the first reliable density estimate of tigers based on photographic capture data in Taman Negara NP. Based on this information, the potential distribution and status of tigers was evaluated nation-wide using GIS mapping. At the landscape level, three areas of habitat connectivity were identified as critical for the long-term viability of tiger populations in Peninsular Malaysia. Thus, conservation and management efforts need to set in the larger and more complex cultural and environmental landscape. While tigers in Peninsular Malaysia were traditionally defined as a member of the Indochinese subspecies, recent molecular analysis shows significant differences in the genetic structure of tigers in Malaysia. The distinctiveness of tigers from the Malayan Pensinsula is comparable to differences among other recognizied and separately managed subspecies. To be consistent the Malayan subspecies should also be managed as a unique evolutionary unit. In the last 20-30 years coyotes have expaned from the western part of Florida's Panhandle to occupy most of the state. How this new carnivore will affect Florida's native wildlife is unknown. To assess the potential impact a study was conducted in central Florida to determine how coyotes and native bobcats partitioned space, habitat, time, and food. While both species used some of the same habitats, were active at similar times, ecological separation was facilitated by dietary differences. The continued fragmentation of the Florida landscape will however promote increases in coyote density; bobcats are more sensitive to fragmentation than coyotes and the combined influence of increasing habitat fragmentation and coyote abundance likely will not favor the bobcat.

Impacts
The results from the tiger studies in Peninsular Malaysia will form the basis for determination of the distribution and potential population size of tiger in Malaysia. Identification of the critical areas of landscape connectivity will be incoroporated into the nation's Physical Plan and will provide the framework for collaboration with the Public Works Department and state landuse authorities. The results of the genetic analysis will lead to improved management and conservation of these recently isolated but distinct geographic populations of tigers in Malaysia.The results from the coyote-bobcat study will provide the benchmark against which specific management objectives can be evaluated. As coyotes continue to expand and increase in Florida's landscapes it may become necessary to initiate control efforts to reduce impacts on livestock as well as native carnivores.

Publications

• Kawanishi, K. and M. E. Sunquist. 2004. Conservation status of tigers in a primary rainforest of Peninsular Malaysia. Biological Conservation 120: 329-344.
• Shu-Jin Luo, Jae-Heup Kim, W. E. Johnson, J. van der Walt, J. Martenson, N. Yuhki, D. G. Miquelle, O. Uphyrkina, J. M. Goodrich, H. B. Quigley, R. Tilson, G. Brady, P. Martelli, V. Subramaniam, C. McDougal, S. Hean, Shi-Qiany Huang, W. Pan, U. K. Karanth, M. Sunquist, J. L. D. Smith and S. J. O'Brien. 2004. Phylogeography and genetic ancestry of tigers (Panthera trigris). Public Library of Science, Biology 2 (12): 2275-2293.
• Thornton, D. H., M.E. Sunquist and M. B. Main. 2004. Ecological separation within newly sympatric populations of coyotes and bobcats in south-central Florida. Journal of Mammalogy 85: 973-982.