Status, abundance and population ecology of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) in Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India
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Abstract
The data on population ecology of nilgai was collected in Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India from August 2013 to June 2014. A total of 108 herds of nilgai 54 in each season (summer and winter) were encountered, respectively. The density of nilgai was found 0.49/km2 in Aligarh district. While the encounter rate was found 0.66
individuals per km. There was a mark seasonal change seen in group size of nilgai i.e. 11.38 ± 2.76, and 22.83 ± 5.40 in winter and summer, respectively. The overall mean group size was found 17.10 ± 4.08. The sex ratio of nilgai was female biased, adult male:adult female ratio was found 1:3 while overall sex ratio was found 61.55%,
26.32% and 44% male, yearling and calves on per 100 females, respectively. The nilgai shows mark seasonal change in their group structure. The group size was found maximum at 25% in 0-5 individual category and minimum 9.25 in >21 category in winter, while about 30% were seen in >21 category and only 11% were seen in between 0-5 category in summer season. Thus, the nilgai was found less sociable in winter and more gregarious in summer season.
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Keywords
Aligarh district, Density, Mean group size, Nilgai, Population structure
References
Bagchi, S. Goyal, S.P. and Sankar, K. (2003). Prey abundance and prey selection by tigers in semi arid, dry deciduous forest in western India. Journal of Zoology (London) 260: 285-290.
Bagchi, S., Goyal, S.P. and Sankar, K. (2004). Herbivore density and biomass in a semi-arid tropical dry deciduous forest of western India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 20: 475–478.
Banerjee, K. (2005). Estimating the ungulate abundance and developing the habitat specific effective strip width models in Kuno Wildlife Santuary, Madhya Pradesh. Ph.D. Thesis, FRI University, Dehradun.
Berwick, S.H. (1974). The community of wild ruminants in the Gir forest ecosystems, India. Ph.D. Dissertation, Yale University, New Haven. 266 pp.
Berwick; S.H., and Jordan, P.A. (1971). First report of the Yale-Bombay Natural History Society studies of wild ungulates at the Gir Forest, Gujarat, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 68: 412-423.
Biswas, S. and K. Sankar (2002). Prey abundance and food habit of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Zoology 256: 411–422.
Brown, B.A. (1976). The population dynamics of nilgai in southern Texas with some management consideration. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Buckland, St., Anderson, D.R., Burnham, K.P. and Laake, J.L. (1993). Distance sampling: estimating abundance of biological population. Chapmann and Hall, New York.
Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R. and Laake, J.L. (1980). Estimation of density from line transect sampling of biological population. Wildlife Monograph 72: 1-202.
Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968). A Revised Survey of Forest Types of India, Government of India Press, New Delhi, 404 pp.
Chauhan, N.P.S and Singh R. (1990). Crop damage by overabundant population of nilgai and blackbuck in Haryana (India) and its management. In vertebrate pest controle conference, Sacromento, California, USA.
Chauhan, N.P.S and Sawarkar, V.B. (1989). Problem of over abundant population of nilgai and blackbuck in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and their management. Indian Forester 115: 488-493.
Chundawat, R.S., Gogate, N. and Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1999). Tigers in Panna: preliminary results from an Indian tropical dry forest. In Riding the tiger: tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes: 123–129. Seidensticker, J., Christie, S. and Jackson, P. (Eds). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chopra, G. and Rai, D. (2009). A study on the ecology of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) and its status as an unconventonal pest of agricultural in and around Beer- Sonty reserve forest, Haryana, India. Journal of Applied and Natural Science 1(2): 245-249.
Haque, N. (1990). Study on the ecology of wild ungulates of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur. Ph.D. Thesis. Centre for Wildlife and Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. 308 pp.
Hussain, W. (2014). Special lecture in Wildlife Department, Former Head Department of Botony, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
International Union for Consevation of Nature (2014). www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/mammals
Khan, I. (1992). Distribution and Crop raiding behaviour of nilgai in western U.P. in the village of Aligarh district. M.Phil. Dissertation, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. 81 pp.
Khan, J.A. (1996). Factors governing habitat occupancy of ungulates in Gir lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Science. 22: 73-83.
Khan, J.A. Chellam, R., and Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1995). Group size and age-sex composition of three major ungulate species in Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 92: 295-302.
Khan, K.A. (2014). Current status and distribution of Nilgai in Aligarh District. M.Phil Dissertation Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Menon, V. (2014). Indian Mammals. A field guide. Hachette Book publishing India Ltd, 528 pp.
Prater, S.H. (1971). The Book of Indian Animals. Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay, India.
Qureshi, M.Q. (1991). Population status and movement of nilgai around the village Ghursikaran near Aligarh University. M.Phil. Dissertation, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Sankar, K. (1994). The ecology of three large sympatric herbivores (chital, sambar, nilgai) with special reference to reserve management in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
Schaller, G.B. (1967). The Deer and the Tiger. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 370 pp.
Sheffield, W.J., Fall, B.A. and Brown, B.A. (1983). The Nilgal Antelope. The Caesar Kleberg Program in Wildlife Ecology and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. The Texas A&M University. 100 pp.
Singh, R. (1995). Some studies on the ecology and behaviour of Nilgai with an assessment of damage to agricultural crop and development of strategy for damage control in south western Haryana. Ph.D. Thesis, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Bagchi, S., Goyal, S.P. and Sankar, K. (2004). Herbivore density and biomass in a semi-arid tropical dry deciduous forest of western India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 20: 475–478.
Banerjee, K. (2005). Estimating the ungulate abundance and developing the habitat specific effective strip width models in Kuno Wildlife Santuary, Madhya Pradesh. Ph.D. Thesis, FRI University, Dehradun.
Berwick, S.H. (1974). The community of wild ruminants in the Gir forest ecosystems, India. Ph.D. Dissertation, Yale University, New Haven. 266 pp.
Berwick; S.H., and Jordan, P.A. (1971). First report of the Yale-Bombay Natural History Society studies of wild ungulates at the Gir Forest, Gujarat, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 68: 412-423.
Biswas, S. and K. Sankar (2002). Prey abundance and food habit of tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) in Pench National Park, Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Zoology 256: 411–422.
Brown, B.A. (1976). The population dynamics of nilgai in southern Texas with some management consideration. Ph.D. Dissertation, Texas A&M University, College Station.
Buckland, St., Anderson, D.R., Burnham, K.P. and Laake, J.L. (1993). Distance sampling: estimating abundance of biological population. Chapmann and Hall, New York.
Burnham, K.P., Anderson, D.R. and Laake, J.L. (1980). Estimation of density from line transect sampling of biological population. Wildlife Monograph 72: 1-202.
Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968). A Revised Survey of Forest Types of India, Government of India Press, New Delhi, 404 pp.
Chauhan, N.P.S and Singh R. (1990). Crop damage by overabundant population of nilgai and blackbuck in Haryana (India) and its management. In vertebrate pest controle conference, Sacromento, California, USA.
Chauhan, N.P.S and Sawarkar, V.B. (1989). Problem of over abundant population of nilgai and blackbuck in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh and their management. Indian Forester 115: 488-493.
Chundawat, R.S., Gogate, N. and Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1999). Tigers in Panna: preliminary results from an Indian tropical dry forest. In Riding the tiger: tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes: 123–129. Seidensticker, J., Christie, S. and Jackson, P. (Eds). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Chopra, G. and Rai, D. (2009). A study on the ecology of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) and its status as an unconventonal pest of agricultural in and around Beer- Sonty reserve forest, Haryana, India. Journal of Applied and Natural Science 1(2): 245-249.
Haque, N. (1990). Study on the ecology of wild ungulates of Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur. Ph.D. Thesis. Centre for Wildlife and Ornithology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. 308 pp.
Hussain, W. (2014). Special lecture in Wildlife Department, Former Head Department of Botony, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India.
International Union for Consevation of Nature (2014). www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/mammals
Khan, I. (1992). Distribution and Crop raiding behaviour of nilgai in western U.P. in the village of Aligarh district. M.Phil. Dissertation, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. 81 pp.
Khan, J.A. (1996). Factors governing habitat occupancy of ungulates in Gir lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Science. 22: 73-83.
Khan, J.A. Chellam, R., and Johnsingh, A.J.T. (1995). Group size and age-sex composition of three major ungulate species in Gir Lion Sanctuary, Gujarat, India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 92: 295-302.
Khan, K.A. (2014). Current status and distribution of Nilgai in Aligarh District. M.Phil Dissertation Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Menon, V. (2014). Indian Mammals. A field guide. Hachette Book publishing India Ltd, 528 pp.
Prater, S.H. (1971). The Book of Indian Animals. Bombay Natural History Society, Bombay, India.
Qureshi, M.Q. (1991). Population status and movement of nilgai around the village Ghursikaran near Aligarh University. M.Phil. Dissertation, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
Sankar, K. (1994). The ecology of three large sympatric herbivores (chital, sambar, nilgai) with special reference to reserve management in Sariska Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. Ph.D. Thesis. University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.
Schaller, G.B. (1967). The Deer and the Tiger. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 370 pp.
Sheffield, W.J., Fall, B.A. and Brown, B.A. (1983). The Nilgal Antelope. The Caesar Kleberg Program in Wildlife Ecology and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. The Texas A&M University. 100 pp.
Singh, R. (1995). Some studies on the ecology and behaviour of Nilgai with an assessment of damage to agricultural crop and development of strategy for damage control in south western Haryana. Ph.D. Thesis, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.
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How to Cite
Status, abundance and population ecology of Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus Pallas) in Aligarh District, Uttar Pradesh, India. (2016). Journal of Applied and Natural Science, 8(2), 1080-1086. https://doi.org/10.31018/jans.v8i2.924
