Camera trapping the Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) in a Secondary Forest, Peninsular Malaysia

Mohd Azlan, Jayasilan and Sharma, Dionysius S. K. (2003) Camera trapping the Indochinese Tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti) in a Secondary Forest, Peninsular Malaysia. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 51 (2). pp. 421-427. ISSN 2345-7600

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Abstract

Indochinese tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti) are the main mammalian predator in most Asian tropical rainforest ecosystems. However little is known about the distribution of this large carnivore in Peninsular Malaysia. In order to understand tiger-human conflict, we conducted a study to describe the relative abundance of tigers in Jerangau Forest Reserve, Ulu Terengganu, Malaysia, between February 2000 and October 2000. A total of ten individuals, including three cubs, were recorded. The use of camera traps provides detailed information on the abundance, ecology and habits of this cryptic and secretive mammal. The most frequently photographed tiger was an adult male (M1) followed by an adult female (F1) which comprised 66% and 12% of the total tiger individual photographs, respectively. The monthly individual accumulation curve did not show any signs of leveling out, suggesting that additional effort may reveal the presence of other individuals even if the camera sites were maintained. The same individuals were recorded both in isolated and continuous forest suggesting that tigers disperse through degraded forest habitat. As this study concentrated on assessing relative abundance of tigers, additional research will be necessary to understand the population dynamics for conservation of this felid species in secondary forest habitat.

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