J. Zool., Lond. (2003) 260, 285–290 C  2003 The Zoological Society of London Printed in the United Kingdom DOI:10.1017/S0952836903003765 Prey abundance and prey selection by tigers (Panthera tigris) in a semi-arid, dry deciduous forest in western India S. Bagchi, S. P. Goyal* and K.Sankar Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. Box No. 18, Dehradun-248001, Uttaranchal, India (Accepted 19 December 2002) Abstract Food habits of tigers Panthera tigris in terms of prey abundance were studied in the semi-arid deciduous forests of Ranthambhore National Park, western India, between November 2000 and April 2001. Wild prey availability was assessed by line transects (n = 8) and prey selection by the tigers was determined from analysis of scats (n = 109). Compared to some other parts of the country, prey abundance was found to be high at 96.65 animalskm − 2 . Chital Axis axis was the most abundant wild prey in the study area, followed by common langur Presbytis entellus, sambar Cervus unicolor, nilgai Boselaphus tragocamelus, wild pig Sus scrofa and chinkara Gazella bennetti. Chital (c. 31%) and sambar (c. 47%) constituted the bulk of the tigers’ diet and were preferred prey. Nilgai and chinkara contributed minimally to the tigers’ diet (c. 5–7% and < 1%, respectively) and were used less than their availability. Domestic livestock made up 10–12% of the tigers’ diet. The average weight of an animal consumed was between 107 and 114kg reﬂecting a preference for large prey. The analysis reveals that parts of Ranthambhore have high prey abundance, thus making it important for long-term tiger conservation. Despite the high prey abundance, tigers were still considerably dependent on domestic livestock, posing challenges for the park management to resolve potential areas of conﬂict. Key words: food habits, line transect, Panthera tigris, tiger, prey selection, scat analysis INTRODUCTION Increasingly, it is being realized that the decline of large carnivores is a global conservation concern (Weber & Rabinowitz, 1996). Effective conservation of large predators requires the assessment of a complex mix of ecological, ethical and symbolic inter-relationships (Kellert et al., 1996). The tiger Panthera tigris L. is revered as a cultural icon over much of its range and yet it has been continually threatened by hunting, habitat loss, fragmentation of populations and most importantly, the depletion of its prey base (Karanth & Stith, 1999). It is alarming that three subspecies of tiger have already become extinct in the wild (Sunquist, Karanth & Sunquist, 1999). Factors affecting prey choice in tigers differ across its distributional range, and need to be understood as it occupies diverse habitats (Sunquist & Sunquist, 1989). Such an understanding would reﬂect the ability of tigers to adapt to landscapes modiﬁed by humans, and prove important for effective conservation planning. Thus, studying the food habits of tigers in relation to their prey base is essential for better management of their habitats, especially for the last remnant populations in semi-arid *All correspondenceto: S. P. Goyal. E-mail: goyalsp@wii.gov.in and dry deciduous parts of western India. The food habits of tigers were examined and prey selection assessed in a semi-arid, dry-deciduous forest of western India in relation to pertinent conservation issues of this region. STUDY AREA The study was carried out between November 2000 and April 2001 in an intensive study area (ISA) of 34 km 2 in Ranthambhore National Park (392 km 2 ), which is the core zone of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (1334 km 2 ; 26 ◦ N, 76 ◦ E; Fig. 1). There are 332 villages within a 5 km radius of the reserve, four of which are inside the core area. Consequently, human pressures are high, with > 143 000 head of livestock dependent on it. The livestock population has been increasing in the region by 2% annually (Jain, 2001). The park–people interface is being addressed by the eco-development projects initiated in the tiger reserve (World Bank, 1996; MacKinnon, Mishra & Mott, 1999; Jain, 2001). The vegetation of this region is tropical dry deciduous forest and tropical thorn forest (Champion & Seth, 1968). Anogeissus pendula Edgew, Acacia leucophloea (Roxb.) Willd. and Butea monosperma (Lamk.) Taub. are the dominant trees, Grewia ﬂavescens Juss. and Capparis sepiaria L. are