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Sharma M, Mathesh K, Dandapat P, Mariappan AK, Kumar R, Kumari S, Kapur V, Maan S, Jindal N, Bansal N, Kadiwar R, Kumar A, Gupta N, Pawde AM, Sharma AK. Emergence of Mycobacterium orygis-Associated Tuberculosis in Wild Ruminants, India. Emerg Infect Dis 2023; 29:661-663. [PMID: 36823735 PMCID: PMC9973683 DOI: 10.3201/eid2903.221228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium orygis was detected in 2 spotted deer from a wildlife sanctuary in western India and an Indian bison from a national park in central India. Nationwide surveillance is urgently required to clarify the epidemiology of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex at the human-livestock-wildlife interface.
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Ramesh T, Milda D, Kalle R, Gayathri V, Thanikodi M, Ashish K, Giordano AJ. Drivers of human-megaherbivore interactions in the Eastern and Western Ghats of southern India. J Environ Manage 2022; 316:115315. [PMID: 35598453 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The global effort to protect megaherbivore populations is largely dependent on how human-wildlife conflict is identified, prioritized, and remedied. We examined the socio-ecological and landscape-scale factors determining spatial patterns of human-megaherbivore (Asian elephant Elephas maximus and gaur Bos gaurus) interactions across sixteen Forest Divisions in Tamil Nadu, India. Using a systematic grid-based design, we conducted questionnaire-based surveys of 1460 households at the human-wildlife interface adjacent to Protected Areas, Reserve Forest and Fringe Areas. We specifically collected information on elephant and gaur conflict incidents (e.g., human death/injuries, property damage, and crop-raiding), cropland type, extent of crop area and area lost to crop-raiding, from each household. We found that human-elephant conflict increased with percentage of crop cover, diversity of major and minor crops grown, proximity to water source, flat terrain, and lower rates of precipitation. Human-gaur conflict was greatest with a high diversity of major crops, proximity to water source, moderate precipitation, and more undulating terrain. We identified ca. 7900 km2 hotspot area of contiguous high-intensity elephant conflict. For gaur, we identified high-frequency conflict hotspot areas covering ca. 625 km2, which were patchily distributed, highly localised, and attributed mostly to the recent changing land-use patterns. Our findings will help policymakers and park managers in developing landscape-scale human-wildlife conflict mitigation plans in the identified conflict hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tharmalingam Ramesh
- Division of Conservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India; School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa; S.P.E.C.I.E.S. - The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and Their International Ecological Study, P.O. Box 7403, Ventura, CA, 93006, USA.
| | - David Milda
- Division of Conservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India
| | - Riddhika Kalle
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Private Bag X01, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, 3209, South Africa; S.P.E.C.I.E.S. - The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and Their International Ecological Study, P.O. Box 7403, Ventura, CA, 93006, USA; Division of Environmental Impact Assessment, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India
| | - V Gayathri
- Division of Conservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India
| | - M Thanikodi
- Division of Conservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India
| | - K Ashish
- Division of Conservation Ecology, Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, 641108, India
| | - Anthony J Giordano
- S.P.E.C.I.E.S. - The Society for the Preservation of Endangered Carnivores and Their International Ecological Study, P.O. Box 7403, Ventura, CA, 93006, USA
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