Ram, M., Vasavada, D., Tikadar, S., Jhala, L.S., Zala, Y. and Meena, V. (2023). Motion and exercise of endangered Asiatic lions in relation to land-use, season and group traits. Journal of Zoology, vol. 319, pp. 23-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.13025
The Asiatic lions are unfold throughout ~30000 km2 within the Saurashtra area of the Gujarat state in India, collectively often called the Asiatic Lion Panorama. The panorama contains 5 protected areas (Gir Nationwide Park, Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Paniya Wildlife Sanctuary, Mitiyala Wildlife Sanctuary, and Girnar Wildlife Sanctuary) and different pure forest patches. Due to the efficient conservation measures previously a long time with the assist of native folks, the Asiatic lion inhabitants has proven a superb enhance previously twenty years. The inhabitants has reached the mark of 674 as per the final estimation (June 2020). With the inhabitants enhance, the Asiatic lions additionally began occupying numerous habitats outdoors the protected forest areas. Their dispersal outdoors the protected areas has led to conservation and administration challenges. You will need to perceive the ecology of Asiatic lions to handle these challenges, particularly their actions and exercise. Moreover, their motion ecology has monumental potential to tell administration and coverage selections with efficient conservation outcomes.
To grasp the features talked about above, a scientific research by radio-telemetry was envisaged on Asiatic lions with the goals to know whether or not their motion and exercise differ with demographic parameters akin to age, intercourse and group dimension and likewise whether or not the day by day distances moved and the home-ranges of people differ inside and outdoors the protected areas. Due to this fact, radio-collars that had been featured with three-axis accelerometer-based exercise sensors, mortality sensors, a programmable drop-off activation system, and a programmable GPS schedule which recorded the placement fixes had been deployed on 19 Asiatic lions. The data was saved on-board and retrieved upon elimination/substitute of the radio-collar.
The research revealed attention-grabbing variations in day by day distances lined (motion) and day by day exercise patterns from acceleration sensors (exercise) in relation to season, group dimension, age and intercourse. It discovered a big distinction within the imply day by day distances between women and men however not between grownup and sub-adult males. Females confirmed considerably much less exercise and motion in comparison with grownup males. Grownup males had been considerably extra lively than sub-adult males.
The research additionally famous that the imply day by day motion for grownup women and men ranging outdoors protected areas was not completely different from these throughout the protected areas, however within the case of sub-adult males, the distinction was extra important: their residence ranges had been bigger outdoors the protected areas in comparison with these throughout the protected areas. The distinction in space-use outdoors the protected areas was an artefact of long-distance forays by grownup and sub-adult women and men on sure days. The foraying distances confirmed a attribute sample for sub-adult males, grownup women and men. Furthermore, it’s properly established that path choice, threat aversion and use of multi-use landscapes outdoors protected areas are age-sex particular. Due to this fact, the information output from this research relating to the spatial and temporal nature of Asiatic lion actions outdoors protected areas shall be useful in threat evaluation, planning infrastructure initiatives and designing conservation motion plans.
Dr. Mohan Ram, Gir Nationwide Park & Wildlife Sanctuary
