Ecology and Management of Chital (Axis Axis) in Pench Tiger Reserve in Central India

Naveen Kumar Chourasia, Kavita Chahal

Abstract: Chital (Axis axis) plays an important role in the sustenance of higher trophic levels in an ecosystem. In the present study, the daily activity cycle of chital in the Pench Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh, Central India, was analyzed with particular emphasis on the variations in the time-budget at different stages of the animal's life history. The detailed activities were divided into broader activities for seasonal comparisons. Movement for running and walking, standing for standing resting and standing ruminating, laying for laying resting and laying ruminating, and foraging for grazing and browsing. All the deer were analyzed for different activities and seasons using statistical software SPSS 8.0.

Keywords: Chital, Axis axis, Activity, Pench Tiger Reserve