ASSESSMENT OF THE NATIVE HABITATS OF PANTHERA TIGRIS AND IDENTIFICATION OF SUITABLE SITES FOR CAPTIVE BREEDING OF THIS SPECIES IN TAMIL NADU USING GIS

The Bengal tiger (with zoological name: Panthera tigris) is the largest among all cat species. The number of mature tigers living in earth is in-between 2,154 to 3,159 individuals and its current population trend is decreasing since its population is severely fragmented. Its major threats come from anthropogenic disturbances, urbanization and lack of sufficient neighbouring animals like deer, bovids, etc. If the tiger population faces threats within their native habitats, ex-situ conservatory measures could be adopted by Governmental agencies to ensure captive breeding in the newly established tiger habitats outside its own.The Study Area of this research is Tamil Nadu, India. In this research has assessed the native habitats of Panthera tigris in Tamil Nadu in terms of its ecological prosperity and also has identified the suitable sites for the establishment of captive breeding sites, for Panthera tigris, in Tamil Nadu. As the final result, a site in Theni district, with an area of 183.04 km2, has been identified (using ‘weighted average' method) as the proposed site for the ex-situ conservation of this animal species in Tamil Nadu. The software used in this research is ArcGIS 10.4..