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Characterizing human–tiger conflict in and around Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, western India

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Abstract

Human–carnivore interactions often influence carnivore conservation and result in mitigating conflicts. We studied human–tiger (Panthera tigris) conflicts in pastoral villages adjacent to Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), Rajasthan, India for 6 years (2005–2011) and characterized and examined the causes of conflicts. We recorded 113 human–tiger conflicts. Most of the conflicts between humans and tigers were from attacks on domestic livestock (88.5 %) and humans (11.5 %). Among livestock, cows, bulls, and calves accounted for 31.6, 21.1, and 16.7 %, respectively, of tiger kills followed by buffalos (19.3 %) and goats (11.4 %). Locations of depredations on livestock occurred inside villages (53.4 %), agriculture fields (44.5 %), and forests (1.9 %). We recorded 13 attacks on humans: nine were nonlethal, but four resulted in death. Attacks on humans occurred in agriculture fields (n = 6), forests (n = 5), and within <500 m of villages (n = 2). Attacks on humans and livestock varied seasonally, with the highest conflicts in summer (n = 36) and during the monsoon (n = 42). Factors that may have caused human–tiger conflicts include tiger movements, fragmentation of corridors, and human disturbance. Some of the insurance from compensation for deaths and injury could be used to mitigate conflicts, as has been done with other larger cats to minimize conflicts.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Director and Dean of the Wildlife Institute of India for their continuous support during this work. We also thank the Rajasthan Forest Department, the park officials, and the field staff at Rajasthan Tiger Reserve for providing valuable information and permissions and for facilitating this work. We thank M. Singh and S. Sharma for data collection. This study was supported and funded by the Wildlife Institute of India (Ministry of the Environment and Forest, Government of India).

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  1. Randeep Singh

    Present address: Amity Institute of Wildlife Sciences, Amity University, Sector – 125, Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box # 18, Dehradun, 248 001, Uttarakhand, India

    Randeep Singh, Parag Nigam, Qamar Qureshi, Kalyanasundaram Sankar & Surendra Prakash Goyal

  2. Boone and Crocket Program, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA

    Paul R. Krausman

  3. Department of Ecology, SLU, Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, 730 91, Riddarhyttan, Sweden

    Kerry L. Nicholoson

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  1. Randeep Singh
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Communicated by R. White

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Singh, R., Nigam, P., Qureshi, Q. et al. Characterizing human–tiger conflict in and around Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, western India. Eur J Wildl Res 61, 255–261 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-014-0895-z

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