If nature is resilient, then the tigers of India's Nagarahole National Park are proof. When given the chance, they breed like rabbits-or to be more precise, at a rate of three to four cubs per litter every two to three years.

Researchers with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a nine-year study of tigers in Nagarahole, one of India's best-run national parks. The research team used remote cameras to identify individual tigers and then accurately estimate population trends in the park. They concluded that while 23 percent of the park's tigers either move away or die each year from poaching and natural causes, the cats' high reproductive rates and the abundance of prey have held the population size steady.

"This study shows that effectively protecting reserves to maintain high prey densities is a key pillar in an overall strategy for the conservation of tigers," said WCS researcher Dr. Ullas Karanth, the lead author.

Unfortunately, in other parts of the tiger's range, relentless hunting of the big cats and their prey has taken a serious toll on the population. Another recent WCS study revealed that tiger numbers in a protected area along the Laos-Vietnam border are severely depressed from commercial poaching and prey depletion, which may increase competition between large carnivores.

"The good news is that given the chance, tigers can replenish their numbers; the bad news is that they are not being given that chance in a number of parts of their range," said WCS big cat researcher Dr. Alan Rabinowitz.


Posted by: Betsy    Source

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