Factors Affecting Population Composition and Social Organization of Wild Ungulates in the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Chitwan National Park's ungulate populations exhibit significant variation in group sizes and social organization, primarily influenced by habitat structure, predation pressure, and human disturbances. Chital form the largest groups (13.76 in winter, 11.01 in summer), while sambar and muntjac tend to be more solitary or in smaller groups (1.86–2.45 for sambar). Female-biased age and sex ratios were observed across all species, with wild boar showing the highest proportion of young individuals and gaur the lowest. Larger groups are predominantly found in less disturbed open areas with high predatory pressure, whereas smaller groups or solitary individuals dominate highly disturbed forest regions. These findings underscore the critical role of habitat management and monitoring human disturbances to enhance long-term conservation strategies for ungulate populations in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Bhattarai, B. P., & Kindlmann, P. (2018). Factors Affecting Population Composition and Social Organization of Wild Ungulates in the Chitwan National Park, Nepal. Journal of Institute of Science and Technology, 22(2), 156–167. https://doi.org/10.3126/jist.v22i2.19608