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Tiger Occurrence in Panna Was Linked to Chital, Sambar and Proximity to Water

Wild Bengal tiger walking through dry forest in central India
Research · Ecology

A camera-trap study in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India, found that tiger (Panthera tigris) occurrence was positively associated with two major prey species, chital (Axis axis) and sambar (Rusa unicolor), and declined with increasing distance from water. The study, available online on 3 March 2026 in Global Ecology and Conservation, examined how species interactions and habitat variables together shaped the reserve’s mammal community.

Researchers used paired camera traps across Panna in winter and summer 2019 and recorded 40,308 independent detections of ten focal mammal species. They used structural equation models to compare top-down effects, where predators influence species below them in the food web, with bottom-up effects, where prey availability helps shape predator occurrence. The analysis showed that both trophic directions and environmental variables were needed to describe the community patterns.

Tigers Were Associated With Prey, Water and Distance From Villages

Tiger occurrence was positively associated with chital and sambar and negatively associated with increasing distance from water. Tigers were also recorded more often farther from villages. A negative association with cattle remained in the combined model.

Across the wider community, distance from water was one of the most consistent environmental predictors. Leopard (Panthera pardus) occurrence was also negatively associated with distance from water and positively associated with canopy cover, while several prey species showed their own relationships with water, vegetation and human settlement.

Both Trophic Directions Contributed to the Mammal Network

Top-down effects from carnivores were strongest overall across the mammal community, but predators did not structure the system alone. Positive bottom-up associations also linked major prey with large carnivores, including the tiger–chital and tiger–sambar relationships.

The study also found positive associations involving large cats and striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), which the authors discuss in relation to scavenging opportunities around large predators. They conclude that both trophic interactions and environmental conditions contribute to mammal occurrence patterns in Panna.

The camera surveys covered winter and summer but not the monsoon, when water availability and animal distributions may change substantially. The authors also caution that directional paths in the structural models should not automatically be interpreted as fixed causal relationships across other spatial scales or time periods.

Sources and image credit

  1. Dutta, S., Maheswaran, G., & Krishnamurthy, R. (2026). Interspecific interaction among mammals in Panna Tiger Reserve, central India: Prey-predator dynamics. Global Ecology and Conservation, 67, e04145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2026.e04145Primary peer-reviewed study available online 3 March 2026. The study used 40,308 independent camera-trap detections from winter and summer 2019 and found that the combined top-down/bottom-up model best fit the mammal community. The published article is CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Image: Bernard Gagnon — wild Bengal tiger in Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh, photographed 17 March 2026; Wikimedia Commons Quality Image; representative central Indian tiger image, not an animal from the Panna study · CC BY 4.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

Ecology

SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Tiger Panthera tigris Explore species Leopard Panthera pardus Explore species Chital Axis axis Explore species Sambar Rusa unicolor Explore species

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