ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF SWAMP DEER IN TERAI GRASSLANDS OF UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA DISSERTATION SUBMITTED/OR THEAWARO OF THE I^REE OF WILDLIFE SCIENCE KALEEM AHMED DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE SCIENCES ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALIGARH (INDIA) 2007 GfD(3 (o]©g]r ©Dfi] Ministry of ]amal A. K^an p{>. D. Environment & Forests Government of India Member, National Tiger Conservation Authority s Member, Tiger Protection Society Govt of Uttar Pradesh Member, lUCN Cat Specialist Group Chairman, Department of Wildlife Sciences Secretary, Wildlife Society of India f AT SPECIALrST GROl P Phones: 0571- 2701052, 2901234, 2701205 Department of Wildlife Sciences 2700920 Ext.: 1700(O), 1701(D) Contervjtkxi Monl[orln| Centre i e-mail: [email protected] Alliarh Muildn Univenky \^<I?"I' V Aligirh INDIA CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the dissertation entitled "Ecology and conservation of swamp deer in Terai grasslands of Uttar Pradesh, India" submitted for the award of Master of Philosophy in Wildlife Science, of the Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh is the original work of Mr. Kaleem Ahmed. This work has been done by the candidate under my supervision. Jamal A Khan Date: 21"' May 2007 CONTENTS Acknowledgement ni Executive Summary v Lists of Tables vin Lists of Figures x Chapter 1: Introduction Introduction 1 Distribution 4 Status 4 Description 5 Literature Review 6 Objective of Study 8 Chapter 2: Study Area Terai A Diverse but Fragile Ecosystem 10 Histoncal Background 11 Location 13 Climate 13 Topography 15 Soil 15 Flora 16 Fauna 16 Chapter 3: Population Structure Introduction 19 Methodology 19 Analysis 21 Results 21 Population Status Distribution 21 Movement of Swamp Deer in Satiana 22 Grouping Pattern 23 Sex Ratio 23 Discussion And Conclusion 30 Population Status Distribution 30 Reasor For Outside Movement 31 Conclusion 32 Grouping pattern 33 Age and Sex Ratio 37 Chapter 4: Habitat Utilization Introduction 39 Methodology 39 Forage Preferences 42 Data Analysis 42 Results 44 Estimation of Animal Densitj' From Pellet Group Density 44 Comparison Between Animal and Random Plots of Barasingha 45 Factor Governing Habitat Use of Chital 45 Factor Governing Habitat Use of Hog Deer 46 Discussion 56 Chapter 5: Activity Pattern and Time Budget Introduction 59 Methodology 59 Analysis 60 Results 61 Seasonal Vanation in Activity Pattefn 61 Activity Pattern of different age and Sex Categones 61 Adult Male " 61 Adult Female 62 Yearling Male 62 Yearling Female 63 Fawn 63 Time Budget 70 Age and Sex Categories 70 Adult Male 70 Adult Female 71 Yearling Male 71 Yearling Female 72 Fawn 72 Discussion 82 Chapter 6: Ptedation Introduction 85 Scats Collection 86 Sample Size Estimation for Minimum Number of Hairs/scats 87 Results 88 Sample Size Estimation for Minimum Number of Hairs/scats 88 Ptedation in Winter 88 Predation in Summer 88 Predation in Monsoon 89 Annual Predation Rate 89 Leopard Predation on Barasingha 89 Discussion 98 Acknowledgement Thanks to Almighty Allah who gave me the power and strength to complete this document. I am grateful to my Supervisor Dr. Jamal A. Khan for his esteemed guidance and providing all the facilities needed to complete my work. All his suggestions and discussions were of immense value in streamlining my study. My sincere thanks to all of my other teachers Dr. Afifuallah Khan and Dr. Satish Kumar, Prof. H. S. A. Yahya, for their valuable suggestions and support. Financial support for this study came from University Grant Commision (UGC), which provided me the research fellowship that take care of most of my personal expenses. I thank this agency for their support. In Dudhwa the hospitality and affection of Mr Billy Arjun Singh provided good change from monotony of field work. Passionate discussion with Billy and his knowledge of Dudhwa were of immense help in getting a better insight into the Park. This study would not have been possible without the help of the Forest department of Uttor Pradesh and I thank Mr. Mohd Ahsan, A.C.C.F, UP for permitting me to work in Dudhwa. Thanks are due to Mr M. P. Singh, Director Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, for his valuable support. I wish to place sincere thanks to Mr. P. P. Singh, Deputy Director Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, who was highly co-operative and supportive during the study and for showing keen interest in the progress of work. This work would not have been successfully completed without the sincere support of the Wildlife wardens, Rangers, Foresters, Forest guards and the Field staff of Dudhwa Tcger Reserve. I am thankful to a whole staff at Sonaripur, Sathianc, Dudhwa, Solukapur as it is beyond the scope to mention them all. At solukapur, mahouts Lallan, Idris and Arshad were of great help and were ever ready to take me into the Rhino enclosure, I thank them all. I offer my sincere thanks to Mr Naseem{Park guide) and his son Bablu who showed great affection and treated me as his family member throughout my study. Special thanks to Bilal Habib and Tanweer Ahmed for their help in data analyses and for their very constructive comments on the draft of this manuscript. Both of them were constant source of my inspiration whenever I lost my temper. Their critical comments not only helped in the preparation of this draft but also helpful in my personal life to get me out in difficult situation. Dear Dr Bill and Dr Nill really you are great. Ill I am particularly thankful to Dr P.K Mathur, Dr S.P Sinha, Dr Uniyd for their encouragement during their visit in the field. I have great appreciation for Dr Ravi Sankaran for his discussion and suggestions. I have a great appreciation for Dr S.P.S Kushwaha of IIRS for his valuable discussion during his visit in the field and sending me study material. I am also thankful to Dr Ashfaq Zarri for his continuous support throughout my study. I appreciate the help of Dr Athar Ali for identifying the grasses collected during the study. I am also thankful to my classmates Nasir, Kamlesh, Rohit, Zaiben, Vyom for their advice and support. Many thanks to my friends Javed, Upimanyu Hore, Neha Midha, Shipra Verma, Iftikar, Irfan, Tahir. Special thanks to Dr Harish Gutaria project co-ordinator WWF India for his encouragement and help during my interaction with him in the field. I am also thankful to my seniors Usham, Sharad and my juniors Athar, shamshad, Ashwaria, AAcraj, Shilpi, Andleeb, Tanusheri. Thanks are also due to Msc final and previous batch for their support. Thanks are due to my field assistant Ram Kumar, Radhay Sham, Ram Niwas, Leia Dhar, and Vijay Kumar for their help in conducting the field work. At the Wildlife department I thank Dr Iqbal Imam, Mustafa Kamal, Anjum, Moonis, Chotey Khan, Syed, Tanveer, Azeem, Shoffar, Arshad and Nadeem. Last but not the least this work would not have been possible without the blessings and support of my parents, sisters, brothers and dear ones. They have been a constant source of inspiration for me, and they did not mind my long absence from home and also for the problems faced because of me. Today what I am is all due to their great care and concern, through enormous patience. I dedicate them everything of mine. Special thanks to my mamu Sulzar Ahmed Mir for his continuous encouragement and support from my childhood for shaping my career in right direction I want to put my heartest thanks to Saima for her affection and care. Thanks for accepting me the way I am with all my faults and weakness. Thanks for being with me in my ups and downs. Your presence around gives me reasons to smile. Acknowledging contributions is an important exercise as research involves help and assistance from numerous individuals and agencies. To list them all is an enormous task. I, to the best of my memory, tried to mention all those who contributed in one way or another towards the completion of this document. In doing so I might have missed some names, more because of lapse of memory than anything else and wish to thank al those who are victim of such human memory. IV Executive Summary The barasingha {Cervus duvauceli) is an endangered deer species in India Three subspecies of baTasmgha are known to occur m India Of these the subapecies Ctrvus duvauceli duvaucdi ih known to occur in the terai grassland of Uttar Pradesh, India Compansion to past distribution show that the population of Cervus duvauceli diivauceli has drastically declined in number and size and has becomes locally extinct from many areas and in the remaining areas it faces major conservation problems The present study was carried out m Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary with an objective to study the ecology of barasingha and to suggest mitigation measures for threats to its conservaaon The two Protected Areas constituting Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. Though separated physically, are by themselves compact and consist of continuous forest tracts These units, 88373 90 ha in area represent one of the few remaining example of a highly diverse and productive ecosystem of terai grassland, supporting a large number of endangered species, obligate species of tall wet grassland and species of restricted distribution. Information on group size composmon and structure of barasingha was collected dirough direct observation. The individual were classified into different age and sex categories based on morphological characters. A total of 322 groups of barasingha were encountered during the study period. Mean group size in Dudhwa National Park was 21.40 + 1.71 S.E with a range of 1-210 and Mean group size in Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary was 11.89 ±1 72 S.E with a range of 1-120 .