Chris Wemmer

Community attitudes toward three protected areas in Upper Myanmar (Burma)

SUMMARY An effective protected area system is essential for thelong-termconservationofMyanmar’sbiodiversity. This study examined the attitudes of 2915 residents in 97 communities around three protected areas (PAs) in upper Myanmar: Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park in the western mountains, Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in the hills bordering the Chindwin and Uru rivers, and Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary in the central dry zone. Logistic regression indicated a positive attitude toward the PAs was most highly correlated with a perception of conservation benefits and benefits resulting from management of the areas. Attitude was also significantly correlated with a perception of extraction benefits, conflicts with PA staff and crop damage by wildlife. Socioeconomic variables were less powerful than perceptions in predicting attitude and, unlike perceptions, their effectsvariedamongtheareas.Themuchgreatereffect of perceptions, especially positive ones, on people’s attitudes indicates that understanding perceptions is important to improving the relationship between local residents and these PAs. This finding underscores the fact that a focus on conflicts to understand people’s attitudes toward PAs may undervalue or miss critical positive perceptions that people hold. Understanding local residents’ perceptions of PAs makes possible the creation of strategic, place-based management strategies that build on people’s positive perceptions and mitigate their negative perceptions.

Spatial patterns in relative primary productivity and gazelle migration in the Eastern Steppes of Mongolia

Abstract The Mongolian gazelle ( Procapra gutturosa ) of the Eastern Steppes of Mongolia shows seasonal migrations to traditional winter and calving grounds with diffuse movements during the intervening periods. We used a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), derived from coarse-resolution satellite imagery, to map relative primary productivity of steppes between April 1992 and December 1995. Productivity peaks were variable between years, but winter and calving grounds had highest NDVI scores during periods of use by gazelles. Gazelle movements to these areas track shifts in primary productivity across the steppe. Diffuse movements in summer were not matched to peaks in productivity. Productivity ‘hotspots’ utilized by gazelles during critical periods in their life cycle should be first priority for conservation and the impact of livestock grazing on these areas should be evaluated.

Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats ( Mustela eversmanni ) II: predator avoidance

We exposed naive Siberain polecats (Mustela eversmanni) (aged 2, 3, and 4 months) to a swooping stuffed great horned owl (Buho virginianus) and a stuffed badger (Taxidae taxus) mounted on a remote control toy automobile frame. The first introduction to each was harmless, the second was accompanied by a mild aversive stimulus, the third (1 day after attack) was harmless, and the fourth (30 days after attack) was harmless. Alert behavior increased after a single attack by either predator model. Escape responses of naive polecats did not differ between ages when exposed to the badger, but 4 month old polecats reduced their escape times after a single badger attack. When exposed to the swooping owl, naive 4 month old polecats redponded more quickly than the other two age groups, and 3 and 4 month old polecats reduced escape times after a single owl attack. This indicates an innate escape response to the owl model at 4 months of age, and a short-tert ability to remember a single mild aversive encounter with the badger and owl models at 3 or 4 months of age.

FORAGE, HABITAT USE, AND SEXUAL SEGREGATION BY A TROPICAL DEER (CERVUS ELDI THAMIN) IN A DIPTEROCARP FOREST

Abstract We monitored use of plants and habitat in a population of thamin (Cervis eldi thamin) in Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary in central Myanmar from 1996 through 1999. Habitat use within the deciduous dipterocarp forest was monitored by radiotracking 19 individuals during daylight hours and conducting biannual fecal pellet surveys along 87 km of marked transects. Habitat abundance was determined by classifying a LANDSAT image of the region, collecting vegetation parameters at 201 plots located within the sanctuary, and pacing habitat types along marked transects. Thamin consumed primarily forbs, grasses, and agricultural crops but also fruits of 8 common tree species. Thamin used dipterocarp forest habitat but showed some seasonal shifts and distinct individual differences in habitat use. Except during of the mating season (January–April), females were found more often in degraded forests and closer to crops than males. Sex differences in habitat selection were due to either female selection of habitats with lower predation risk or increased nutritional needs associated with lactation.

ECOLOGY AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATION OF A TROPICAL DEER (CERVUS ELDI THAMIN )

Abstract From 1995 to 1999, we conducted an ecological study of thamin (Cervus eldi thamin) at Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary in central Myanmar; we maintained records on deer sightings and radiotracked 11 adult male and 8 adult female deer. Based on 747 sightings, a 0.63:1.0 adult male : female ratio and 0.51:1.0 fawn : adult female ratio were observed. Mean group size was variable (1.0–5.9 deer) and showed seasonal differences, with few groups observed in August–September and groups of ≤70 individuals observed in March–April. Based on the fixed-kernel method, annual home range was 9.04 km2 ± 5.67 SD and 7.25 km2 ± 3.45 SD for males and females, respectively. Thamin increased their seasonal home range during the hot–dry season, possibly in response to decreased forage and water availability and increased mating activity. The observed synchrony of estrous onset (March–April) and fawning (October–November) in female thamin is unusual for a tropical cervid species, but reproductive seasonality appears timed to balance fawn survival with doe nutrition in a monsoon environment.

Development of survival skills in captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) I: Locating prey

Captive-raised mustelids appear to have a rudimentary capacity to kill prey, but the skills necessary for locating prey may be eroded during captivity. We tested the maturational component of prey-searching behavior with captive-raised Siberian polecats (Mustela eversmanni) by subjecting polecats to a simulated prairie dog colony of 6 burrows within a 200 m2 arena. Ten naive Siberian polecats at ages 2.5, 3.5, and 4.5 months (30 total) were deprived of food for 12 hours. A dead prairie dog was placed in 1 prairie dog burrow and the other 5 were empty. A single Siberian polecat was released onto the colony shortly before sunset and its movements monitored from an observation tower. Older Siberian polecats located prey significantly quicker than younger polecats, but all age groups spent a great deal of time in surface activity not directed toward a burrow. When Siberian polecats were about 10 months old, all burrows in the arena were plugged with dirt including the burrow with the prairie dog. In this winter test, Siberian polecats located the prey but still spent a great deal of time in non-burrow directed surface activity. Economical use of surface time, with a low amount of non-burrow directed behavior, would presumably reduce the risk of predation for hunting polecats.

Adoption in Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)

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