S.S. Kolipaka’s thesis questions and investigates the survival prospects of reintroduced tigers and their offspring’s in the human dominated landscape of Panna tiger reserve in India. This thesis... Show moreS.S. Kolipaka’s thesis questions and investigates the survival prospects of reintroduced tigers and their offspring’s in the human dominated landscape of Panna tiger reserve in India. This thesis recognises the importance of both the sociological (human) and biological (tiger) aspects to address tiger survival in human dominated landscapes. The study describes the factors that allow local people in the Panna tiger reserve area to co-existence with tigers such as, people avoiding the forest at night and allowing unwanted surplus cattle to roam the forests. People’s behaviours are a result of their age old beliefs on tigers, good knowledge on wild animals and traditional practices. Tigers show adaptation to people’s activity and practices and also prey on free-roaming cattle. They did not target villages or become problem animals. These insights show how people’s practices in a landscape shape human and carnivore coexistence. Such understanding also provides insights for improving local practices and emphasise the need for in-depth understanding of local cultures. The study also describes the behaviour of tigers. It shows how the originally released animals and their offspring use their environment vis-à-vis their spatial movements and choice of prey. Tigers exhibit high adaptability and also avoid areas of high human activity. These findings demonstrate how an expanding tiger population could co-exist alongside humans. Understanding these processes is essential to guide the reintroduction of large carnivores like tigers and their successful management in human dominated landscapes. Show less
Kolipaka, S.S.; Tamis, W.L.M.; Zelfde, M. van 't.; Persoon, G.A.; Iongh, H.H. de 2017
The case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve in India, displaying unusually high tolerance towards large... Show moreThe case presented in this paper is a unique situation of livestock pastoralists, living in the buffer zone of Panna Tiger Reserve in India, displaying unusually high tolerance towards large carnivores in spite of frequent predation incidents. The researchers dissect the case, examine local people’s practices anddraw attention to factors influencing peoples practices.Through interviews and personal observations the researchers collected detailed information on peoples practices and the factors influencing such practices. They collected information on large carnivores near 29 villages in the buffer zone and looked at factors influencing their presence in these areas. Their findings reveal the play and working of several social factors that are instrumental in influencing peoples tolerance and people’s behaviours towards forests and wildlife and recommend that carnivore conservation projects focusing outside protected areas should critically assess the influence of such aspects on their conservation goals. And wherever applicable, find ways to innovatively model them into their conservation plans. Show less
