Ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing the Summer habitat use of <i>Bos gaurus</i> and its conservation threats in Chitwan National Park, Nepal

The results revealed that the probability of Gaur occurrence increases with moderate to high canopy cover, riverine and <i>Shorea robusta</i> dominated forests, and nearest distance to road/path/firelines, while decreasing with the presence of predators. Uncontrolled fire, invasive species, human disturbances, and climate change were ranked as the most prevailing threats to Gaur in our study area. Conservation managers should implement effective habitat management interventions, such as construction of waterhole, firelines maintenance, grassland management, and control of invasive species in the potential habitats, to safeguard and maintain the sustainability of Gaur populations and associated herbivores. Future studies should consider larger geographical settings and multiple seasons, and habitat suitability assessments should be conducted to determine current and future suitable habitat refugia for Gaur and other threatened wildlife species at the landscape level.