Monitoring of reintroduced tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India: preliminary findings on home range, prey selection and food habits

Published source details Sankar K., Qureshi Q., Nigam P., Malik P.K., Sinha P.R., Mehrotra R.N., Gopal R., Bhattacharjee S., Mondal K. & Gupta S. (2010) Monitoring of reintroduced tigers in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Western India: preliminary findings on home range, prey selection and food habits. Tropical Conservation Science, 3, 301-318.
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This study is summarised as evidence for the following.

	Action	Category
	Use holding pens at release site prior to release of translocated mammals Action Link

Use holding pens at release site prior to release of translocated mammals

A study in 2008–2009 in a subtropical forest in Rajasthan, India (Sankar et al. 2010) found that three translocated tigers Panthera tigris tigris that were kept in holding pens prior to release survived for at least 3–11 months after release and established home ranges. The annual home range of a released male was 169 km² and that of a female was 181 km². The summer home range of a later released female was 223 km². Home ranges overlapped by 54–99 km². Mating was observed between the male and each female. Of 115 recorded kills by tigers, 12 were of domestic animals. Thirty-two villages were located within the 881-km² reserve. Tigers had been absent since 2004. One male and one female wild-caught tiger were released on 6 and 8 July 2008, respectively. A further female was released on 27 February 2009. Tigers were held in 1-ha enclosures at release sites for 2–8 days before release. They were satellite- and radio-tracked from release until June 2009.

(Summarised by: Jack Gavigan )