Tigers and Their Prey: Assessing Impacts of the Collapse of Wild Pigs Due to African Swine Fever

About

Gatty Lecture Series

Join us for a talk by Karann Putrevu, Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow in the Departmentof Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University.

This Gatty Lecture will take place at the Kahin Center, 640 Stewart Ave. Lunch will be served. For questions, contact seap@cornell.edu.

Abstract

The spread of African Swine Fever (ASF) across Asia presents an urgent conservation problem for endemic wild pig species, as well as the predators that prey on them. ASF has proven to be extremely lethal in Asia, with wild boar mortality rates approaching 100%. Of particular concern among the apex predator suite in Asia are tigers (Panthera tigris), who hunt wild boar more preferentially than sympatric predators, and who already face severe baseline threats to their persistence from poaching and habitat loss. This energetic pressure on tigers can have further propagating consequences, as hungry tigers may be driven into conflict situations with local communities. Karann will present his ongoing work to (1) highlight tiger populations most at risk for ASF-related declines, (2) apply analytical approaches to diagnose declines that may have already occurred, (3) conduct fieldwork to address critical data gaps in tiger and pig ecology, and (4) work with local stakeholders and NGOs on potential interventions.

About the Speaker

Karann Putrevu received his Ph.D. in Environment & Resources from the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he studied Amur tigers in Russia. As a Klarman Postdoctoral Fellow at Cornell, he is studying the ongoing prey depletion pressure facing tigers due to African Swine Fever (ASF). His geographic focus is on regions where wild pig species constitute a critical portion of available tiger prey, which includes the Russian Far East, peninsular Malaysia, and Sumatra.