Living with Leopards: Implications of human-leopard interaction on food security and public health in the foothills of the Himalayas

In Nepal, human-leopard conflict threatens food security of local communities as a result of livestock loss and causes injuries and death to both humans and leopards. We aim to understand key drivers and impacts of human-leopard interactions across a rural-urban gradient and to generate well-informed policy-led interventions for sustainable conservation actions. We will conduct an analysis of leopard diet to better understand the extent to which leopards prey on livestock and feral species and we will develop a spatial conflict risk model that will help to manage or mitigate human-leopard interactions. In partnership with two national conservation champions, we seek to secure national policy commitment by developing a National Policy document to enable site-specific sustainable conflict management responses, and promote local stewardship for the survival of leopards in shared landscapes without compromising human well-being.

Collaborators: Dr. Martin Gilbert, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University and Dr. Richard Stedman, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University; Shashank Poudel, Cornell University

 

Moose Health and Parasitic Threats

Populations at their range margins are increasingly susceptible to environmental and stochastic change. Moose (Alces alces) in the northern United States are at the southern limit of their range and have experienced population extirpations and fluctuations from a combination of factors including warming climate, predation, declining habitat quality and quantity, competition with conspecifics, and the deleterious effects of parasites. Populations in the northeast have experienced repeated declines from winter tick (Dermacentor albipictus) epizootics, meningeal worm (Parelaphostrongylus tenuis), and giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna), and warming climate is predicted to increase the range and fitness of these parasites. Moose were extirpated from New York by the 1860s due to habitat alteration and unregulated harvest, but have since recolonized northern areas of the state and slowly increased in numbers. Despite this increase, the population has failed to grow as quickly as predicted considering amounts of suitable habitat, and the mechanisms behind this limited growth are unknown.

We will examine the effects of multiple parasites on moose individual and population health and assess factors limiting moose population growth within the Adirondack Park. Objectives of this project include 1) quantifying juvenile moose survival in the Adirondacks, identifying sources of mortality, and determining the influence of juvenile survival on population growth, 2) understanding parasite prevalence in moose and intermediate hosts, 3) investigating community dynamics of moose, deer, and their parasites, and 4) developing a risk map of parasitic threats to moose in New York. This information will directly contribute to the management and conservation of moose in New York and the region.

Collaborators: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Dr. Krysten Schuler, Cornell Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, Cornell University; Dr. Jacqueline Frair, Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry; Jen Grauer, Cornell University

Bobcat Density Estimation

In 1977, the bobcat (Lynx rufus) was listed in Appendix II of CITES due to its similar appearance to the endangered Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), and thus its trade is currently managed by the federal government. This listing also granted the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) the authority to implement bobcat harvest seasons to control where and when harvest is allowed in New York. To manage bobcats for all stakeholders, NYSDEC must have a robust estimate of bobcat abundance in the state. Traditionally, these estimates have been based off harvest indices, which can susceptible to bias. Spatially explicit models based on resighting individual bobcats offers a more robust alternative to harvest indices.
Unlike bobcats in other parts of their range, bobcats in New York are not as easily individually identifiable through camera trapping alone. Therefore, we will estimate the density of bobcats across New York State using a Spatial-Mark-Resight (SMR) study design. To do this, we will collect occasion histories by deploying identifying ear tags on a subset of bobcats in the state and conducting multiple seasons of camera trapping. We will also deploy GPS collars on a subset of bobcats to collect movement behavior information for input in our SMR model. This information will yield robust estimates of bobcat density which will directly contribute to the management and conservation of bobcats in New York State.

Collaborators: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Haley Turner, Josh Twining, Cornell University