Abstract Context. Increasing forest fragmentation and degradation has forced wildlife to live in close proximity to humans, increasing the chances of human–wildlife conflict. Leopard (Panthera pardus) typifies the problem faced by large carnivores. It is a threatened species with a wide distribution, with a large part of their range outside protected areas, leaving them vulnerable to human–leopard conflict. Understanding their status and diet in such non-protected forests is necessary for their long-term conservation. Aims. The present study aimed to estimate leopard density and assess their diet in a non-protected forest. Methods. A camera-trapping survey was carried out in the Kamdi forest corridor outside of protected areas, covering 791.29 km2 in the western part of Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) in Nepal. Leopard density was estimated based on the photographs obtained in camera traps, using Bayesian Explicit Capture–recapture (B-SECR) models. Scats of leopards were opportunistically collected (n = 60) and their diet analysed through micro-histological characters of hair remains. The frequency of occurrence and relative biomass of different prey species consumed by leopard was calculated. Key results. Leopard density was estimated to be 1.50 (± 0.49 s.e.) 100 km−2 in the survey area. Similarly, we identified 13 prey species in the leopard scats. Wild prey contributed the majority (67.8%) of leopard diet, including 23.2% of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and 18.3% of spotted deer (Axis axis). Nearly one-third of leopard diet consists of domestic livestock (cattle, goat, sheep) and dog. Conclusions. Leopard density was found to be relatively low in the forest corridor compared with protected areas. Nearly one-third of leopard diet from domestic livestock and dogs suggests that human–leopard conflict could be problematic in the survey area. Implications. Increasing prey density in the forest corridor and improving livestock husbandry in the periphery will contribute to increase leopard density, reduce the human–leopard conflict and enhance the functionality of the corridor.

中文翻译：

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特莱森林走廊中的豹（Panthera pardus）密度和饮食：对保护和冲突管理的影响

摘要上下文。越来越多的森林破碎化和退化迫使野生动物生活在人类附近，增加了人与野生动物冲突的机会。豹（Panthera pardus）是大型食肉动物面临的典型问题。它是一种分布广泛的受威胁物种，它们的大部分活动范围都在保护区之外，因此很容易受到人豹冲突的影响。了解它们在此类未受保护的森林中的状况和饮食对于它们的长期保护是必要的。目标。本研究旨在估计豹子密度并评估它们在非受保护森林中的饮食。方法。在保护区外的 Kamdi 森林走廊进行了相机捕获调查，覆盖了尼泊尔 Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) 西部的 791.29 平方公里。使用贝叶斯显式捕获-重新捕获 (B-SECR) 模型，根据在相机陷阱中获得的照片估计豹子密度。随机收集豹子的粪便（n = 60），并通过毛发残留物的微观组织学特征分析它们的饮食。计算了豹消耗的不同猎物物种的发生频率和相对生物量。关键结果。调查区域内的豹密度估计为 1.50 (± 0.49 se) 100 km-2。同样，我们在豹猫中发现了 13 种猎物。野生猎物占豹子饮食的大部分 (67.8%)，包括 23.2% 的野猪 (Sus scrofa) 和 18.3% 的梅花鹿 (Axis axis)。近三分之一的豹子饮食由家畜（牛、山羊、绵羊）和狗组成。结论。与保护区相比，森林走廊中的豹子密度相对较低。近三分之一来自家畜和狗的豹子饮食表明，人豹冲突在调查区域可能存在问题。影响。增加森林走廊的猎物密度和改善外围的畜牧业将有助于增加豹子密度，减少人豹冲突并增强走廊的功能。