Leopard cats, the much-understudied species of small cat has been facing severe threat from habitat loss and fragmentation
Big cats are not the only animals that intrude into human settlements in search of food, even smaller cats do so! A considerable number of the of small cat population spread across various tiger reserves in the state has also been venturing out of jungles for food. While big cats prey on livestock and at times humans, these small cats prey only on the fast-multiplying rodent population and benefiting people.
Even as very little is known about the population density of small cats, these behavioural traits of small cats are part of the first scientific study on density of the small cat population carried out by the conservation scientists of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The study entitled 'Estimating population sizes of leopard cats in the Western Ghats using Camera surveys' was recently published in the Journal of Mammalogy.
Considering that Karnataka forests are home to several species of small cat, researchers from WCS have focused on the population density of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis)—the second most abundant small cat species after the jungle cat and have come out with interesting results.
Leopard cats, the much-understudied species of small cat has been facing severe threat from habitat loss and fragmentation.
Also, commercial exploitation for their skins and a thriving pet trade has left leopard cats vulnerable.
The leopard cats are comparable to domestic cats in size and can be easily identified by their dark stripes running from their head down the spine. The body is covered with spots helping in individual identification of the cat similar to tiger's stripes or leopard's rosettes.
"Though they are widely believed to have been found in Western Ghats and parts of North-East India, studies on them have been limited to documentation of occasional sightings," said Arjun Srivatsa, research associate and lead author of the study.
High density close to human population
Interestingly, compared to their population data, Bhadra Tiger Reserve has revealed a high density of leopard cats. "The high density areas are largely restricted to secondary forests and coffee plantations outside the park boundaries and village-relocation sites within the reserve. We found that they live and do well on coffee plantations and like all other small wild cats they mainly feed on rodents. Areas close to human settlements generally have more rodents. Hence, their presence or density is likely to be higher in such areas. However, they also need natural forest cover to survive," Arjun clarified.
Leopard cats prefer wet areas
The study team, which included Arjun, Ravishankar Parameshwaran, Sushma Sharma and Dr Ullas Karanth, installed cameras at a whopping 562 locations across Bhadra, Nagarahole, Bandipur and BRT tiger reserves.
"The collected data revealed that Bhadra had the highest density of leopard cats out of the four reserves followed by BRT.
While the Bhadra had about 10 cats per sq km, BRT revealed five cats per sq km. Overall, across the four reserves; we estimate that there are around 100 leopard cats. Certainly, there could be more leopard cats in places like Kudremukh, Dandeli-Anshi, Sharavathi-Mookambika, etc, that have similar habitat conditions," Arjun clarified.
Further, the sparse data in Bandipur and Nagarahole is attributed to high tiger and leopard densities. "It is only a potential reason for the trend. The other reason could be that these reserves are much drier compared to Bhadra and BRT. These cats prefer wetter forests and are found in higher numbers in reserves that receive more rainfall. We are now continuously monitoring their populations in these reserves. Our subsequent results will shed light on their long-term population trends," another researcher clarified.
Did you know?
* A leopard cat is about the size of a domestic cat, but more slender, with longer legs and well-defined webs between its toes.
* Leopard cats are solitary, except during breeding season. Some are active during the day, but most hunt at night, preferring to stalk murids, tree shrews and hares.
* Although commercial trade is much reduced, the species continues to be hunted throughout most of its range for fur, for food, and as pets. They are also widely viewed as poultry pests and killed in retribution.
* The Tsushima leopard cat is listed as critically endangered on the Japanese Red List of endangered species, and has been the focus of a conservation program funded by the Japanese government since 1995.
* The Asian leopard cat (P. b. bengalensis) is mated with a domestic cat to produce hybrid offspring known as the Bengal cat. This hybrid is usually permitted to be kept as pet without a license.
Big cats are not the only animals that intrude into human settlements in search of food, even smaller cats do so! A considerable number of the of small cat population spread across various tiger reserves in the state has also been venturing out of jungles for food. While big cats prey on livestock and at times humans, these small cats prey only on the fast-multiplying rodent population and benefiting people.
Even as very little is known about the population density of small cats, these behavioural traits of small cats are part of the first scientific study on density of the small cat population carried out by the conservation scientists of Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The study entitled 'Estimating population sizes of leopard cats in the Western Ghats using Camera surveys' was recently published in the Journal of Mammalogy.
Considering that Karnataka forests are home to several species of small cat, researchers from WCS have focused on the population density of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis)—the second most abundant small cat species after the jungle cat and have come out with interesting results.
Leopard cats, the much-understudied species of small cat has been facing severe threat from habitat loss and fragmentation.
Also, commercial exploitation for their skins and a thriving pet trade has left leopard cats vulnerable.
The leopard cats are comparable to domestic cats in size and can be easily identified by their dark stripes running from their head down the spine. The body is covered with spots helping in individual identification of the cat similar to tiger's stripes or leopard's rosettes.
"Though they are widely believed to have been found in Western Ghats and parts of North-East India, studies on them have been limited to documentation of occasional sightings," said Arjun Srivatsa, research associate and lead author of the study.
High density close to human population
Interestingly, compared to their population data, Bhadra Tiger Reserve has revealed a high density of leopard cats. "The high density areas are largely restricted to secondary forests and coffee plantations outside the park boundaries and village-relocation sites within the reserve. We found that they live and do well on coffee plantations and like all other small wild cats they mainly feed on rodents. Areas close to human settlements generally have more rodents. Hence, their presence or density is likely to be higher in such areas. However, they also need natural forest cover to survive," Arjun clarified.
Leopard cats prefer wet areas
The study team, which included Arjun, Ravishankar Parameshwaran, Sushma Sharma and Dr Ullas Karanth, installed cameras at a whopping 562 locations across Bhadra, Nagarahole, Bandipur and BRT tiger reserves.
"The collected data revealed that Bhadra had the highest density of leopard cats out of the four reserves followed by BRT.
While the Bhadra had about 10 cats per sq km, BRT revealed five cats per sq km. Overall, across the four reserves; we estimate that there are around 100 leopard cats. Certainly, there could be more leopard cats in places like Kudremukh, Dandeli-Anshi, Sharavathi-Mookambika, etc, that have similar habitat conditions," Arjun clarified.
Further, the sparse data in Bandipur and Nagarahole is attributed to high tiger and leopard densities. "It is only a potential reason for the trend. The other reason could be that these reserves are much drier compared to Bhadra and BRT. These cats prefer wetter forests and are found in higher numbers in reserves that receive more rainfall. We are now continuously monitoring their populations in these reserves. Our subsequent results will shed light on their long-term population trends," another researcher clarified.
Did you know?
* A leopard cat is about the size of a domestic cat, but more slender, with longer legs and well-defined webs between its toes.
* Leopard cats are solitary, except during breeding season. Some are active during the day, but most hunt at night, preferring to stalk murids, tree shrews and hares.
* Although commercial trade is much reduced, the species continues to be hunted throughout most of its range for fur, for food, and as pets. They are also widely viewed as poultry pests and killed in retribution.
* The Tsushima leopard cat is listed as critically endangered on the Japanese Red List of endangered species, and has been the focus of a conservation program funded by the Japanese government since 1995.
* The Asian leopard cat (P. b. bengalensis) is mated with a domestic cat to produce hybrid offspring known as the Bengal cat. This hybrid is usually permitted to be kept as pet without a license.
***
Karnataka scientists estimating leopard cat population in Western Ghats
Karnataka scientists set up camaras to check population sizes
of leopard cats in the Western Ghats across 2,075 sq km in 2013; their
paper, which reports good news for leopard cats in the region, was
published in Journal of Mammalogy this week.
While the leopard is infamous for
reports of animal-human conflict in Mumbai, not much is known about the
leopard cat, which is Asia’s most common wild cat species found
predominantly in the Western Ghats.
The leopard cats can be identified by their spots, which are similar to tiger stripes and leopard's rosettes
DATE, Research scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS India Program), conducted an in-depth research titled ‘Estimating population sizes of leopard cats in the Western Ghats’ to determine the estimated population of the leopard cat in the region. Comparable to domestic cats in size, leopard cats are identified by their characteristic dark stripes lining their head and spine.
The villagers of Bori village in the Narayngaoon range of Forest Department near Junnar were shocked to see a leopard that had fallen into the 60-feet deep well, at around 9.30am on Saturday. A rescue team was called to help the big cat. “With the help of a rope, we released a trap cage into the well. The leopard immediately walked into the cage, and we lifted it,” said veterinarian Dr Ajay Deshmukh, who was part of the rescue operation. The leopard didn’t suffer injuries and was later transported to the Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center for further medical examination. pics credit/ Dr Ajay Deshmukh, Wildlife SOS
They can be identified by their spots, which are similar to tiger stripes and leopard’s rosettes. “There is increasing amount of work done on leopard cats in Southeast Asian countries, but in India, studies on leopard cats are generally limited to documentation of occasional sightings,” said Arjun Srivathsa, research associate, and the lead author of the study.
The team from Karnataka, comprising Srivathsa, Ravishankar Parameshwaran, Sushma Sharma and Dr Ullas Karanth, analysed the data recorded across an area of 2,075 sq km covering Bhadra, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT), Bandipur and Nagarahole Tiger Reserves. And, their camera traps have captured some good news.
While Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka has the highest population density with over 10 leopard cats per 100 sq km area, Biligiri Ranga Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve in Karnataka has four individuals per 100 sq km. The survey yielded sparse data from Bandipur and Nagarahole.
The authors assign possibility of high tiger and leopard densities in these two areas, as a reason. In their conclusion, they point out the preference of wet areas by leopard cat species as Bhadra and BRT receive more rainfall. In Bhadra, high leopard cat density areas were mostly restricted to secondary forests and coffee plantations outside park boundaries and village relocated sites within the reserve.
This is significant as these areas also tend to have greater populations of rodents; presence of leopard cats could keep a check on rodent populations. “The research will aid in scientific reassessment of the species’ conservation status, which is currently categorised as ‘least concern’ in International Union for Conservation of Nature (ICUN) Red List, despite limited ecological knowledge. The study was published this week in Journal of Mammalogy,” said Srivathsa.
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