Prey selection by Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris tigris (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) of Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Abstract

Prey selection by tiger in Chitwan National Park, Nepal was studied from 77 tiger scats that contained the remains of principal prey species. The scats were collected from January to March 2010. Government reports on herbivore population in Chitwan provided the base data on density of principal prey species. In order to understand prey selectivity, the observed proportion of prey species in the scats were compared with the expected proportion derived from density estimates. The observed scat frequency of Sambar, Hog Deer and Wild Boar was found to be greater than the estimated frequency, and the reverse was true for Chital and Muntjac. The average weight of the principal prey species killed was 84 kg. According to our results, Chital and Sambar constituted the bulk (82.07%), and Hog Deer, Wild Boar, and Muntjac constituted 17.93% of the tiger diet. Sambar contributed the largest bulk (43.75%) of prey composition, but Chital constituted the relatively most killed (50.36%) prey species. The present study makes a contribution to an understanding of the status of prey composition in tiger scat in Chitwan during the year 2010. The study also highlights that both large and medium sized prey are important for the conservation of tiger in Chitwan National Park.

Keywords

• Panthera tigris
• principal prey species
• prey selection
• scat analysis
• tiger.