IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Naing, H.; Htun, S.; Burnham, D.; MacDonald, D.W. | |
| Density estimate of tigers in Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary, northern Myanmar | |
| 2016 Conference Proceeding | |
Apex predators have the potential to serve as umbrella species contributing to the conservation of the species with which they coexist. Tigers _Panthera tigris_ are sufficiently rare that knowing the numbers that exist in each enclave is relevant to planning their conservation. An elusive species about which current status in Myanmar is little known, tigers can be found in the Hukaung Valley, Htamanthi and Tenasserim landscapes, of which Htamanthi may have the highest conservation potential. We deployed cameras at 82 stations for 7,365 trap days in the Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary (2,151 km2). Five tigers were identified from 80 photographs. Densities were estimated as 0.73 ñ SE 0.39 per 100 kmý within an effective study area of 687 kmý using closed model maximum likelihood, and as 0.83 ñ SD 0.24 per 100 kmý using Bayesian-based spatial capture-recapture methods. Wildlife poaching is a paramount concern in Htamanthi, where there are also threats from gold mining, logging concessions, agarwood and non- timber forest product collection. Our results illustrate the importance of this sanctuary for the conservation of big cats. We argue for Htamanthi as a national priority site within the Northern Forest Complex in Myanmar. |
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