Volume 4, Issue 3 (9-2022)                   JAD 2022, 4(3): 53-61 | Back to browse issues page


XML Print


1- Wildlife and Conservation Biology Research Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan–384265, Gujarat State, India , rabarivasant016@gmail.com
2- Department of Environmental Studies, Faculty of Science, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Vadodara (Gujarat)–390002, Gujarat State, India
3- Wildlife and Conservation Biology Research Lab, Department of Life Sciences, Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University, Patan–384265, Gujarat State, India
Abstract:   (3339 Views)
Knowledge of the occurrence and distribution of terrestrial mammals is imperative in the design of conservation strategies in protected areas. There is a lack of information available on the occurrence and abundance of wild mammals in the Balaram-Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat of India. Thus, the present study was carried out to understand the relative abundance of the wild mammalian species in the Balaram-Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary via camera trapping. We used day/night camera traps to record the presence of diurnal and nocturnal mammals in the Balaram-Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary. We plotted 11 cameras near water bodies for 20 days from 6 January 2020 to 26 January 2020. A total of 268 photographs of wild animals were captured. Among the photos 13 wild mammalian species were identified, including the Rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire), which is reported for the first time in this area. The Relative Abundance Index (RAI) of each identified species was calculated to understand the species richness, providing baseline data for species occupancy.
Full-Text [PDF 8028 kb]   (2024 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Species Diversity
Received: 2022/04/13 | Accepted: 2022/08/9 | Published: 2022/09/30

References
1. Ahumada, J. A., Silva, C., Gajapersad, K., Hallam, C., Hurtado, J., Martin, E. and Andelman, S. J. (2011). Community structure and diversity of tropical forest mammals: Data from a global camera trap network. 2703-2711. [DOI:10.1098/rstb.2011.0115] [PMID] [PMCID]
2. Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968). Revised Forest types of India. Govt. of India Publications, New Delhi, India. 404 pp.
3. Chaudhary S. V., Desai P. G. and Dharaiya N. A. (2022). An annotated checklist of bird diversity of Kheralu, Mehsana, Gujarat. Species, 23: 74-85.
4. Chetana, H. C. and Ganesh, T. (2007). Survey and activity patterns of nocturnal mammals in a fragmented dry deciduous forest of Karnataka. Zoos' Print Journal, 22 (4): 2644-2647. [DOI:10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.1576.2644-7]
5. Debata, S. and Swain, K. K. (2018). Estimating mammalian diversity and relative abundance using camera traps in a tropical deciduous forest of Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, Eastern India. Mammal Study, 43 (1): 1-9. [DOI:10.3106/ms2017-0078]
6. Farsi, H., Harti, D., Achaâban, M. R., Piro, M., Ouassat, M., Challet, E., Pevet, P. and El Allali, K. (2018). Validation of locomotion scoring as a new and inexpensive technique to record circadian locomotor activity in large mammals. Heliyon, 4 (12), e00980. [DOI:10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00980] [PMID] [PMCID]
7. Gajera, N. and Dharaiya, N. (2011). Status, occurrence, distribution of some mammals of North Gujarat, India. In: Proceedings of the Zoological Society, 64 (1): 46-53. [DOI:10.1007/s12595-011-0009-9]
8. Garshelis, D. L., Joshi, A. R., Smith, J. L. and Rice, C. G. (1999). Sloth Bear Conservation Action Plan, In: Servheen, C., Herrero, S. and Peyton, B. (Compilers)., Bears. Status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN/ SSC bear and polar bear specialist groups (pp. x + 309). IUCN.
9. Harshey, D. K. and Chandra, K. (2001). Mammals of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Zoos' Print Journal, 16 (12): 659-668. [DOI:10.11609/JoTT.ZPJ.16.12.659-68]
10. Human census (2011). Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Available: https://censusindia.gov.in
11. IUCN 2022. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-1. Accessed on 18 November, 2022. Available: https://www.iucnredlist.org.
12. Jenks, K. E., Chanteap, P., Kanda, D., Peter, C., Cutter, P., Redford, T., Antony, L., Howard, J. and Leimgruber, P. (2011). Using relative abundance indices from camera-trapping to test wildlife conservation hypotheses-an example from Khao Yai National Park, Thailand. Tropical Conservation Science, 4 (2): 113-131. [DOI:10.1177/194008291100400203]
13. Johnsingh, A. and Manjrekar, N. (2013). Mammals of South Asia. University Press (India) Private Limited, Himayatnagar, Hyderabad, India. 614 pp.
14. Joshi, J. D., Tatu, K., Joshi, D. and Kamboj, R. D. (2018). Faunal Diversity of the Little Rann of Kachchh (LRK), Gujarat, India. International Journal of Scientific Research in Biological Sciences, 5 (5): 117-123. [DOI:10.26438/ijsrbs/v5i5.117123]
15. Liu, X., Wu, P., Songer, M., Cai, Q., He, X., Zhu, Y. and Shao, X. (2013). Monitoring wildlife abundance and diversity with infra-red camera traps in Guanyinshan Nature Reserve of Shaanxi Province, China. Ecological Indicators, 33: 121-128. [DOI:10.1016/j.ecolind.2012.09.022]
16. Marsh, D. M. and Trenham, P. C. (2008). Current trends in plant and animal population monitoring. Conservation Biology, 22 (3): 647-655. [DOI:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.00927.x] [PMID]
17. McCafferty, D. J. (2007). The value of infrared thermography for research on mammals: previous applications and future directions. Mammal Review, 37 (3): 207-223. [DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2907.2007.00111.x]
18. Mewada, T. P., Tiwari, U. L. and Kotia, A. (2019). Fruiting species influence the seasonal use of the habitat by sloth bear in and around Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 11 (2): 183-190. [DOI:10.15835/nsb11210391]
19. Mondal, K., Chourasia, P., Gupta, S., Sankar, K. and Qureshi, Q. (2022). Investigating resource selection of the Indian leopard Panthera pardus fusca (Meyer, 1794) in a tropical dry deciduous forest. Journal of Animal Diversity, 4 (2): 97-109. [DOI:10.52547/JAD.2022.4.2.5]
20. Mudappa, D., Noon, B. R., Kumar, A. and Chellam, R. (2007). Responses of small carnivores to rainforest fragmentation in the southern Western Ghats, India. Small Carnivore Conservation, 36: 18-26.
21. Norbu, L., Thinley, P., Dechen, U., Koirala, B. K., Dorji, T., Tshering, D., Dorji, P. and Tobgay, S. (2022). Photographic evidence of the Spotted linsang Prionodon pardicolor (Mammalia: Carnivora: Prionodontidae) from the Tashigang Forest Division, Eastern Bhutan. Journal of Animal Diversity, 4 (2): 115-120. [DOI:10.52547/JAD.2022.4.2.7]
22. Patel, C. D. and Patel, M. I. (2011). Checklist of mammals in Taranga Hill Forest, Gujarat, India. Zoos' Print, 26 (5): 30-32.
23. Patel, R. H. and Varshney, A. V. (2018). Floristic diversity of forest of Balaram Ambaji Wildlife Sanctuary, Banaskantha District, Gujarat. Journal of Agroecology and Natural Resource Management, 5 (3): 132-134.
24. Prater, S. H. (2005). The Book of Indian Animals. Twelfth reprint. Oxford University Press, UK. 324 pp.
25. Sharma, G., Kamalakannan, M. and Venkataraman, K. (2015). A Checklist of mammals of India with their distribution and conservation status. 107 pp.
26. Singh, H. S. (2001). Natural heritage of Gujarat. Gujarat Ecological Education and Research Foundation, Gandhinagar, India. GEER Press. 261 pp.
27. Subedi, N., Lamichhane, B. R., Dahal, Y. N., Kandel, R. C., Karki Thapa, M., Regmi, R. and Shrestha, B. (2021). Tigers in the Himalayan foothills: Possible linkage between two tiger population clusters in Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Journal of Animal Diversity, 3 (2), 69-75. [DOI:10.52547/JAD.2021.3.2.7]
28. Sukhadiya, D., Joshi, J. U. and Dharaiya, N. (2013). Feeding ecology and habitat use of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in Jassore Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. Indian Journal of Ecology, 40 (1): 14-18.
29. Swann, D. E. and Perkins, N. (2014). Camera trapping for animal monitoring and management: A review of applications, In: Meek, P. and Fleming, P. (Eds.), Camera trapping: Wildlife management and research. Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 3-11.
30. Tanwar, K. S., Sadhu, A. and Jhala, Y. V. (2021). Camera trap placement for evaluating species richness, abundance, and activity. Scientific Reports, 11 (1): 1-11. [DOI:10.1038/s41598-021-02459-w] [PMID] [PMCID]
31. Timilsina, S., Mishra, R., Adhikari, A., Gautam, S. and Neupane, B. (2021). Status, current distribution and threats to the Fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus (Bennett, 1833) in Nepal. Journal of Animal Diversity, 3 (2): 18-25. [DOI:10.52547/JAD.2021.3.2.3]
32. Vyas, S. and Dharaiya, N. (2021). Assessment of wildlife habitat in Taranga hill forest with reference to change in land use and land cover. eJournal of Applied Forest Ecology, 9 (1): 22-28.
33. Webbon, C. C., Baker, P. J. and Harris, S. (2007). Faecal density counts for monitoring changes in red fox numbers in rural Britain. Journal of Applied Ecology, 41 (4): 768-779. [DOI:10.1111/j.0021-8901.2004.00930.x]
34. Wood, J. D., O'Connell-Rodwell, C. E. and Klemperer, S. L. (2005). Using seismic sensors to detect elephants and other large mammals: a potential census technique. Journal of Applied Ecology, 42 (3): 587-594. [DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2664.2005.01044.x]
35. Yadav, S. K., Lamichhane, B. R., Subedi, N., Acharya, H. B., Macdonald, D. W. and Fitzmaurice, A. (2021). Rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire) camera trapped in the Bardia-Banke complex of Western Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal. Journal of Animal Diversity, 3 (4): 49-55. [DOI:10.52547/JAD.2021.3.4.7]

Rights and permissions
Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.