Co-occurrence of Leopard and Asiatic Wild Dog and their interaction with Chital in Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve of India

Species occupancy survey has become primarily a useful method in monitoring species whose detection is difficult such as felids and canids to produce the result relatively quicker at landscape level. We conducted species encounter survey using spatially replicated transect in Tadoba-Andahari Tiger Reserve (TATR) of central India where large carnivores such as tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), dhole (Cuon alpinus) and sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) co-exist. We analysed the detection non detection data using likelihood based occupancy modelling. Using single species and species interaction models, we estimated occupancy and detectability of leopard, dhole and chital and interaction pattern between carnivore-carnivore and carnivore-prey pair. We found the overall occupancy estimates (0.94 ± SE 0.11), (0.79 ± SE 0.11) and (0.63 ± SE 0.07) for leopard, dhole and chital respectively. The detection probabilities for same species were found (0.52 ± SE 0.10), (0.44 ± SE 0.07) and (0.43 ± SE 0.05). We found that sympatric carnivores leopard and dhole occupied the site independent of each other (
=0.997 ± SE 0.006) and detectability of either species do not affect other (=1.058 ± SE 0.091). We did not found strong evidence of exclusion between leopard and chital (=0.98 ± SE 0.027) and detectability of either species was independent of other (=0.999 ± SE 0.024). Another pair dhole and chital had independent occurrence (=1.005 ± SE 0.029) in TATR. The detectability between same pair found affecting each other (=0.983 ± SE 0.064). Our result had similar pattern in south Western Ghats of India and it would be of conservation value to compare effect of village relocation (if it will be implemented in the future) in occupancy and colonization.