Population Status of a Cryptic Top Predator: An Island-Wide Assessment of Tigers in Sumatran Rainforests

Large carnivores living in tropical rainforests are under immense pressure from the rapid conversion of their habitat. In response, millions of dollars are spent on conserving these species. However, the cost-effectiveness of such investments is poorly understood and this is largely because the requisite population estimates are difficult to achieve at appropriate spatial scales for these secretive species. Here, we apply a robust detection/non-detection sampling technique to produce the first reliable population metric (occupancy) for a critically endangered large carnivore; the Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae). From 2007–2009, seven landscapes were surveyed through 13,511 km of transects in 394 grid cells (17×17 km). Tiger sign was detected in 206 cells, producing a naive estimate of 0.52. However, after controlling for an unequal detection probability (where p = 0.13±0.017; ±S.E.), the estimated tiger occupancy was 0.72±0.048. Whilst the Sumatra-wide survey results gives cause for optimism, a significant negative correlation between occupancy and recent deforestation was found. For example, the Northern Riau landscape had an average deforestation rate of 9.8%/yr and by far the lowest occupancy (0.33±0.055). Our results highlight the key tiger areas in need of protection and have led to one area (Leuser-Ulu Masen) being upgraded as a ‘global priority’ for wild tiger conservation. However, Sumatra has one of the highest global deforestation rates and the two largest tiger landscapes identified in this study will become highly fragmented if their respective proposed roads networks are approved. Thus, it is vital that the Indonesian government tackles these threats, e.g. through improved land-use planning, if it is to succeed in meeting its ambitious National Tiger Recovery Plan targets of doubling the number of Sumatran tigers by 2022

Reducing human–elephant conflict: do chillies help deter elephants from entering crop fields

Abstract Crop raiding by elephants is the most prevalent form of human-elephant conflict and can result in devastating economic losses for farmers, loss of human lives and the killing or capture of elephants. Chilli (capsaicin)-based elephant deterrents have been promoted as tools for reducing such conflict but have been little tested. From October 2005 to April 2006 we tested crop-guarding systems around Way Kambas National Park in Indonesia. We evaluated the effectiveness of community-based guarding using traditional tools (e.g. noise-makers) at one site and community-based guarding plus chilli-grease-covered fences and tripwiretriggered sirens at another site. We monitored humanelephant conflict rates around the Park to assess the effectiveness of our mitigation trials. Over the trial period there were 34 attempts by elephants to enter crop fields at the chilli and sirens site and 57 attempts to enter fields at the conventional site but 91.2% of attempts were repelled successfully at both sites. Over the same period there were 401 crop-raiding incidents elsewhere around the Park. In 2007 farmers at both our former sites voluntarily adopted the methods that had been used at the conventional site, but not at the chilli and sirens site, and were able to repel 156 of 178 (87.6%) attempted elephant raids. We conclude that community-based guarding using conventional tools is the key to keeping elephants out of crops and that chilli-grease fences (and sirens) do not add any significant deterrent effect but do add expense and create additional work. However, other chilli-based deterrents may be effective and chillies have value as elephant-resistant cash crops

Community-based human-elephant conflict mitigation: The value of an evidence-based approach in promoting the uptake of effective methods.

Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a serious threat to elephants and can cause major economic losses. It is widely accepted that reduction of HEC will often require community-based methods for repelling elephants but there are few tests of such methods. We tested community-based crop-guarding methods with and without novel chili-based elephant deterrents and describe changes in farmers' willingness to adopt these methods following our demonstration of their relative effectiveness. In three separate field-trials that took place over almost two years (October 2005 -May 2007) in two villages adjacent to Way Kambas National Park (WKNP) in Indonesia, we found that community-based crop-guarding was effective at keeping Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) out of crop fields in 91.2% (52 out of 57), 87.6% (156 out of 178), and 80.0% (16 out of 20) of attempted raids. Once the method had been shown to be effective at demonstration sites, farmers in 16 villages around WKNP voluntarily adopted it during the July 2008 to March 2009 period and were able to repel elephants in 73.9% (150 out of 203) of attempted raids, with seven villages repelling 100% of attempted raids. These 16 villages had all experienced high levels of HEC in the preceding years; e.g. they accounted for >97% of the 742 HEC incidents recorded for the entire park in 2006. Our work shows, therefore, that a simple evidence-based approach can facilitate significant reductions in HEC at the protected area scale

Perilaku Makan Gajah Sumatera (Elephas Maximus Sumatranus) Di Taman Margasatwa Ragunan

Abstrak - Gajah Sumatera (Elephas maximus sumatranus) merupakan subspesies dari gajah Asia yang hidup di Pulau Sumatera, Indonesia. Gajah merupakan spesies kunci sehingga harus dijaga kelestariannya. Oleh karena itu diperlukan adanya konservasi terhadap gajah. Taman Margasatwa Ragunan (TMR) merupakan salah satu kawasan konservasi eksitu. Pengamatan perilaku makan gajah di kawasan eksitu penting dilakukan untuk mengetahui mekanisme adaptasi gajah di kawasan eksitu yang bukan merupakan habitat aslinya karena sebagian besar aktivitas makan gajah dihabiskan untuk aktivitas makan. Pengamatan perilaku makan bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan perilaku makan gajah sumatera di TMR. Penelitian dilakukan dengan pengamatan perilaku makan empat ekor gajah yang terdiri dari dua ekor gajah dewasa dan dua ekor gajah anakan yang meliputi: waktu aktivitas makan, jenis makanannya, perilaku makan, dan interaksi yang terjadi selama aktivitas makan. Metode pengamatan dilakukan dengan focal observastion. Analisis data yaitu menggunakan analasis deksriptif dan dengan membandingkan hasil presentase perilaku makan gajah yang terlihat. Hasil yang diperoleh adalah terdapat tiga perilaku gajah yaitu mengambil, memotong dan mengunyah makanan. Perbedaan perilaku gajah dipengaruhi oleh faktor umur dan jenis pakan gajah yang diberikan oleh perawat TMR.Abstract - Sumatran Elephants (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is one of Asian elephants subspecies that live in Sumatra Island, Indonesia. Elephants are a key species that must be preserved. Therefore, it is necessary to do a conservation about elephants. Taman Margasatwa Ragunan (TMR) is one of the ex-situ conservation area. An observation about elephant feeding behavior in ex-situ area is important to know the mechanism of elephant adaptation in the ex-situ area which is not their original habitat because most of elephant activity is spent on feeding activity. The purpose of this observation is to describe the feeding behavior of Sumatran elephant in TMR. This observation was conducted by observing the eating behavior of four elephants consisting of two adult elephants and two baby elephants which included: the time of feeding activity, the type of food, the eating behavior, and the interactions that occurred during feeding activity. Data analysis is using descriptive analysis and by comparing the percentage of elephant feeding behavior. The result obtained is there are three behaviors of elephants in TMR during feeding: taking, cutting, and chewing foods. Differences in elephant behavior are affected by age and type of foods.Keywords – Elephants, Sumatran Elephants, Eating behaviour, Ragunan Wildlife Par

Perilaku dan Pola Asuh Induk (Parental Care) Terhadap Anak Gajah Sumatera (Elephas maximus sumatranus) di Taman Margasatwa Ragunan

Abstrak - Gajah Sumatera (Elephas maximus sumatranus) merupakan hewan sosial yang menganut sistem matriarki. Induk akan bersikap protektif, agresif, menemani dan membantu aktivitas keseharian anak gajah seperti bermain, berkomunikasi, dan menyusui. Perilaku pengasuhan anak gajah dapat berbeda antara habitat asli dengan konservasi ex-situ seperti kebun binatang yang memiliki ruang gerak terbatas. Pengamatan ini bertujuan untuk menerangkan perilaku dan pola pengasuhan induk terhadap anak gajah Sumatera di konservasi ex—situ. Tempat pengamatan dilakukan di Taman Margasatwa Ragunan (TMR). Objek pengamatan untuk penelitian ini adalah empat individu gajah Sumatera di Taman Margasatwa Ragunan. Metode yang digunakan adalah ad libitum sampling dan focal animal sampling. Hasil pengamatan perilaku asuh induk yang berjumlah 11 macam menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan pada setiap induk gajah. Perilaku menyusui lebih banyak dilakukan induk daripada perilaku lainnya. Perilaku allomother pada gajah betina selain induk di TMR kurang terlihat aktif karena tida terlihat faktor yang memicu terjadinya perilaku tersebut. Variasi pola asuh induk gajah di TMR ada 10 macam dan 6 macam pola asuh gajah betina selain induk (allomother). Terjadi perilaku pola asuh abnormal dan kurangnya perkembangan sosial anak gajah terhadap gajah lain selain induk karena ruang gerak dan jumlah gajah dalam satu kandang yang terbatas di TMR. Kata kunci - Gajah Sumatera, Elephas maximus, pola asuh, allomother, hewan sosial, matriarki Abstract - Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) is a social behaviour that have adopts matriarch system. Female elephant will be protective, helping, and always accompanying the elephant calf for activities such as playing, communicating, and berast feeding. Parental care behaviour and pattern of a Sumatran elephant in ex-situ conservation and their habitat could be different. The purpose of this observation was to describe Sumatran elephant parental care behaviour and pattern in ex-situ conservation. This observation is conduct in Ragunan Zoo and the object for this study is four Sumatran elephant. The method in this observation using ad libitum and focal animal sampling. The results showed there are no difference for parental care in Sumatran elephant and there are 11 behaviour of parental care. Allomothering in Ragunan Zoo showed less vissible because there are no factor that require helping to nurture the calf. There are 10 pattern for parental care and 6 pattern for allomotehring. There has an abnormal behaviour to the Sumatran elephant and lack of social development for the calf because of the limit space and other elephants in the enclosure. Keywords - Sumatran elephant, Elephas maximus, parental care, allomother, social animal, matriarc

Proportion of attempted elephant raids repelled by villagers using voluntary community-based crop protection methods (‘conventional’ methods) for 16 villages in Phase 3.

<p>Proportion of attempted elephant raids repelled by villagers using voluntary community-based crop protection methods (‘conventional’ methods) for 16 villages in Phase 3.</p

Comparison of the effectiveness of the two different crop protection systems tested: Community-based crop-guarding with conventional tools (at the ‘conventional’ sites) and community-based crop-guarding with chili-grease fences and trip-wire triggered sirens (the ‘chili-and-sirens’ sites) in Phases 1 and 2.

<p>Comparison of the effectiveness of the two different crop protection systems tested: Community-based crop-guarding with conventional tools (at the ‘conventional’ sites) and community-based crop-guarding with chili-grease fences and trip-wire triggered sirens (the ‘chili-and-sirens’ sites) in Phases 1 and 2.</p

Support provided by the HEC project to villagers during the three project phases discussed in the text.

<p>Support provided by the HEC project to villagers during the three project phases discussed in the text.</p

Crop protection methods used in the ‘conventional’ sites and the ‘chili-and-sirens’ sites in Phases 1 and 2.

<p>Crop protection methods used in the ‘conventional’ sites and the ‘chili-and-sirens’ sites in Phases 1 and 2.</p

Project area in and around Way Kambas National Park (WKNP), Sumatra, Indonesia.

<p>The top right panel depicts the island of Sumatra in relation to Peninsular Malaysia and Java, with the study area in a box. The left panel depicts the boxed area in greater detail with remaining forest cover shown in green. The bottom right panel shows WKNP and the 16 villages mentioned in the text. Figure used by permission of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), original copyright owner [original copyright year 2007], under a CC BY license.</p