Philopatric and natal dispersal of tigers in a semi-arid habitat, western India

The connectivity between landscapes is an important aspect of the conservation of small and isolated populations of carnivores. We studied the natal dispersal pattern of Bengal tigers (Panthera tigris tigris) using motion-sensitive cameras and intensive searches from April 2005 to June 2011 in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR), western India. We tracked 29 tiger cubs (18 males, 11 females) born during the study until they established independent territories. All the females and 72.2% of the males attained maturity. The males had a greater probability (92.3%) of dispersal compared with the females (36.4%). Males dispersed an average distance of 27.0 ± 12.7 (SE) km (range = 4.5–148 km), while females dispersed an average distance of 5.7 ± 3.03 km (range = 4.6–25.8 km) from their natal area to establish their independent territories. The average age of dispersal was 38.6 ± 2.6 months (range = 24–44 months) for the males and 27.7 ± 2.7 months (range = 25–33 months) for the females. Seven of the 11 females bred at >48 months’ age, after establishing independent territories. Of the other females, three were translocated to another protected area, and one died after the dispersal. This study adds to the baseline information about the dispersal patterns of tigers, which is important in making conservation and management decisions for restoration of tiger populations. •We tracked 29 tiger cubs (18 male and 11 females) born during the study until they established independent territories.•Males had a greater probability (92.3%) of dispersal than females (36.4%).•Out of 11 females, 7 breed at >48 months after establishing independent territories.•This study provides base line information for conservation and management decisions for tiger restoration.