Seasonal Activity Pattern of Wild Boar (Sus Scrofa) and Temporal Overlap with Humans in the Uttarkashi Landscape of Western Himalaya, Uttarakhand

Wild boar is an invasive omnivore and an opportunistic feeder declared as a pest species in many countries. Despite of their invasive nature they play an essential role as ecological engineer in the ecosystem. Currently, very scanty information is available on wild boar ecology, behaviour and crop raiding pattern especially in Indian landscape. The, present study was aimed to understand daily activity pattern of wild boar and their activity overlap with human in Uttarkashi district. The 134 cameras consisted of 6220 trap nights during 2018 to 2020 before and after pre-monsoon season were deployed. The study indicated that wild boar are primarily nocturnal, remain most active during the midnight, and only occasionally interact with humans during afternoon. When compared activity patterns across the seasons, showed nocturnal activity pattern in the summer, spring, and diurnal during the winter. In order to understand their ecology and activity, present study can help to comprehend their activity pattern to avoid conflicts with human and effective population management of wild boar in the studied landscape.