Patterns of crop raiding by wild ungulates and elephants in Ramnagar Forest Division, Uttarakhand

Crop raiding is a major form of human–wildlife confl ict that not only aff ects livelihoods of farmers living close to forest areas but also jeopardizes the objective of wildlife conservation. In this study, we report patterns associated with crop raiding based on periodic fi eld inspections of 95 crop fi elds spread across 16 villages in India. Average raided area of the fi eld was highest in seedling stage (21%). Fields closer to the forest edge incurred higher damage in the seedling (22%) and mature stages (7%) than fi elds farther from the forest edge, although this was not statistically signifi cant. Guarding was found to be ineff ective in decreasing crop raiding, with no statistical diff erence in the mean area of damage between guarded and unguarded fi elds. Cheetal (Axis axis), sambar (Rusa unicolor), nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), and wild pig (Sus scrofa) were the main raiders in fi elds close to the forest edge whereas nilgai and wild pig were chief raiders in fi elds farther from the forest edge. Results of this study suggest that in the study area, wild pig and nilgai are more problematic species than elephants (Elephas maximus), which are reported to cause the most damage in other landscapes.