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Key Movement Bottlenecks for Five Large Mammals Lay Outside Protected Areas in Tamil Nadu

Wild Bengal tiger resting in Mudumalai National Park, Tamil Nadu
Research: Ecology · Conservation: Human–wildlife conflict

A 2026 landscape study mapped habitat selection and potential movement routes for five large mammals across the Western and Eastern Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India: tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), dhole (Cuon alpinus), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and gaur (Bos gaurus).

Four species selected protected areas most strongly

Here, habitat selection means use relative to how much of each habitat was available. The models showed the highest habitat selection inside protected areas for all five species except leopard. Leopards also showed relatively high selection in fragmented landscapes just outside protected areas, while tiger habitat use was largely confined to protected areas. All five species showed the lowest habitat selection in highly fragmented areas farther from protected areas, and the models indicated that these landscapes were also the least suitable for movement.

Several movement bottlenecks lay outside protected areas

Connectivity modelling identified several narrow movement bottlenecks outside protected areas, especially in fragmented parts of the Nilgiris, Gudalur, Coimbatore and Dharmapuri forest divisions. These are places where the model suggests movement between larger habitat blocks is channelled through relatively few routes. They are modelled connectivity pinch points, not direct observations of individual animals moving through them.

The authors note that many of these bottlenecks overlap landscapes where conflict between people and large mammals is also a concern. They therefore emphasise management outside protected areas as well as within them, particularly protected-area–agriculture interfaces for large herbivores, while better prey availability inside protected areas could strengthen conditions for tiger, leopard and dhole.

Sources and image credit

  1. Milda, D., Ashish, K., Ramesh, T., et al. (2026). Routes to survival: identification and prioritization of critical corridors for large mammal conservation in southern India.Primary open-access peer-reviewed study. Field data from 113 100-km² grids were used to model habitat selection and connectivity for tiger, leopard, dhole, Asian elephant and gaur in Tamil Nadu. Habitat selection was highest inside protected areas for all species except leopard; tiger use was largely confined to protected areas, and several modelled connectivity pinch points occurred outside protected areas in fragmented parts of Nilgiris, Gudalur, Coimbatore and Dharmapuri.

Image: Timothy A. Gonsalves — wild male Bengal tiger resting in Mudumalai National Park, Tamil Nadu, India, 10 March 2021. Source: Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative image from the study landscape. · CC BY-SA 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 Dhole Cuon alpinus Explore species Gaur Bos gaurus Explore species

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