Beyond the Refuge: Seasonal Habitat Use and Dietary Habits of Leopards in a Human-Modified Landscape around Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand, India

We used dynamic occupancy modeling and scat analysis to understand the habitat use and feeding habits of leopards in a forest-agricultural mosaic adjacent to Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The top model indicated that leopards were not detected at sites with elephants but were detected where large prey was present. Initial occupancy was higher at sites with moderate proportion of forest cover. Colonization probability decreased with increasing road density. Extinction probability was inversely correlated with distance from settlements and positively correlated with road density. Wild prey dominated the diet (69.4%), especially nilgai and sambar, whereas the contribution of domestic animals was lower (30.6%). In essence, the habitats near the settlements were more widely used in the pre-monsoon peak due to denser cover, which declined successively in latter seasonal peaks probably due to reduction in cover provided by sugarcane crops which were harvested later. Leopards favoured wild prey, which were likely supplemented with domestic prey near the settlements and roads. The conservation efforts here should prioritize the habitats and prey within the agricultural landscape to sustain leopard and prey populations in order to mitigate any conflict at manageable levels.