Tigers of Ranthambore & Western India Landscape

[Pckts]

(10-01-2020, 02:47 AM)Ashutosh Wrote: @Pckts, there are barely any rhinos in Terai apart from Chitwan to constitute a prey base (there is probably 1 attack a year in rest of the parks). And, as for elephants, in Corbett where 240 tigers live, there were 13 elephant kills in a 5 year period (mostly juveniles). That is just such a minuscule proportion to form a prey base. 

Not to mention, the Indochinese tigers also interact with elephants (and probably attack them too). The ungulate theory is sound but you were talking about bovines which are anyway  less sparse than other ungulates. And, as you see from Indian side of Terai, even without bovines but an abundance of other ungulates, the size doesn’t seem to be affected of tigers.

Panna hasn’t had any bovines in a long time, yet, you have had big tigers come out from there. And, as for rains and cooler temperatures, the Indochinese tiger gets both those better than Ranthambore.

Documented kills are the smallest portion of actual kills. Of the massive size of these parks, kills not only habe to occur during the tourism season but they must also 
occur within range of the few roads tourists and park rangers frequent. Mahouts have better chances but they aren't reporting to guides.

The Terai Tigers still have access to larger bovines, rhino and elephanr, all of which aren't available in Ranthambore. Indochinese Tigers do to but again, their numbers are so dimisnished that who knows what size they actually could attain with proper protection and corridors.
The landscape for indochinese tigers is also very different, the dense vegetation I would imagine doesn't allow large herds of big bovines to congregate they way they do in India and would also make it harder for a big cat to travel.

Panna Tigers are all pretty much translocated at this point, correct? They also don't have the same definition you see in other C. Indian Tigers, they seem a bit softer in frame, possibly due to cattle predation although Ranthambore Tigers can be cattle killers as well yet dont show the same lack of definition. This may be due to the heat difference though. Reply