Asian Journal of Conservation Biology Vol. 1 No. 1, pp.20-30, 2012 AJCB-FP0004 © TCRP 2012 Home Range and Movements of Male Translocated Problem Tigers in Sumatra Dolly Priatna 1,2,*, Yanto Santosa 1 , Lilik B. Prasetyo 1 and Agus P. Kartono 1 1 Department of Forest Resources Conservation & Ecotourism, Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Kampus IPB Darmaga, Bogor 16680, Indonesia 2 The Zoological Society of London - Indonesia Programme, Jl. Gunung Gede I/11A, Bogor 16151, Indonesia (Accepted 29 May, 2012) ABSTRACT The ranging behaviour of translocated problem tigers is poorly understood. The demand for releasing problem tigers back to the wild increases following the increasing the num- ber of problem tigers that needs to be rescued in Sumatra in the last decade. In this study we estimate the home range size and obtain information on daily range of four translocated problem tigers, as well as discussing some potential factors determining the size of home range and their movement. We translocated four adult males Sumatran tigers (Panthera tigris sumatrae) caught after killing domestic animals or rescued from traps set up by villagers for capturing deer and wild boar. The tigers were released fol- lowing 16-225 days rehabilitation. All were fitted with global positioning system collars and released 74-1,350 km from their capture site. The length of time needed by each tiger for establishing home range was between 6 and 13 weeks. The home range size of each individual tiger estimated with 100% minimum convex polygon varies between 67.1 km 2 and 400 km 2 , while estimations with a 95% fixed kernel methods were between 37.5 km 2 and 188.1 km 2 . The difference in home range size established by each translo- cated tigers indicates the variability of the range size even within a subspecies. The maximum distance moved each tiger in one day was different, the range was 8.5-18.9 km. Although preliminary, these data may be useful for improving future translocation of problem tiger, as this study was the first ever conducted in Sumatra. Key words. GPS collar, Panthera tigris, home range, movement, Sumatran tiger, translocation INTRODUCTION Translocation has been used for decades as a tool for alleviating livestock depredation by large carnivores such as brown bears (Ursus arctos) and black bears (U. americana) (Armistead et al., 1994; Blanchard & Knight, 1995), wolves (Fritts et al., 1984; Bangs et al., 1998), and wild felids (Rabinowitz, 1986; Stander, 1990; Ruth et al., 1998) including tigers (Seidensticker et al., 1976; Nowell & Jackson, 1996; Goodrich & Mi- quelle, 2005). The process involves capturing a specific, problem-causing individual alive in the area of conflict, transporting it to another area, and releasing it. Translo- cation of large carnivores is also believed to be one of potential conservation method to reduce mortality, miti- gate conflicts, and supplement or re-establish wild populationS (Griffith et al., 1989; Wolf et al., 1997). In general, carnivores translocated for conflict manage- ment have shown strong homing abilities, poor survival and reproduction, and a tendency to resume predation on livestock (Linnell et al., 1997). Yet despite high mortality of translocated individuals, public perception of translocation as a nonlethal technique makes this a popular management tool that will most likely continue to be used (Craven et al., 1998), especially for species that are rare or endangered (Linnell et al., 1997; Brad- ley et al., 2005). The Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae) is the last remaining tiger subspecies in Indonesia after both Bali tiger (P. t. balica) and Javan tiger (P. t. son- daica) went extinct in 1940’s and 1980’s, respectively (Seidensticker et al., 1999). This sub species also faces many threats for their future survival (Seidensticker, 1986; Seidensticker et al., 1999). Human-tiger conflict in Sumatra has been identified as one of key problem in tiger conservation as this can lead to direct fatalities and reduced support for their long term survival. It is also one of the factor which motivates people to cap- ture or kill tigers (CITES, 1999). Nyhus & Tilson (2004) have collected scattered reports on human-tiger conflict and characterized it according to the victims. They showed that 146 people were killed by tigers in Sumatra with a further 30 people injured during the period of 1978-1997. A total of 870 livestock were killed by tigers during the conflict at same period of time. Further, they also stated that approximately 250 tigers were killed within those 20 years in response to tiger attacks. It has recently been reported that 57 peo- ple were killed and another 81 people injured and at least 326 livestock were killed by tigers as a result of human-tiger conflict between 1998 and 2011 (Sumatran Tiger Conservation Forum, unpublished). This conflict also has resulted 69 tigers being removed from the wild and either killed or sent into one of the ex-situ conservation center. The home range and movement of animals are affected by their surroundings and the distribution of *Corresponding Author’s E-mail: dolly.priatna@zsl.org 20