Date of Award
Summer 8-2-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Joshua Plotnik
Second Advisor
Dr. Martha Mendez Baldwin
Academic Program Adviser
Diana Reiss
Abstract
Due to human development and habitat fragmentation, Asian elephants increasingly use human landscapes and encounter people. These interactions have led to negative interactions between humans and elephants, such as crop-raiding. Despite efforts to mitigate these conflicts, farmers have not been able to consistently protect their crops from elephant foraging. Therefore, it is important to understand elephant behavior in these landscapes to help create long term mitigation plans. Specifically, research regarding demographic patterns in Asian elephants’ perceived predation risk can inform wild elephant management. This study used camera traps in Salakpra Wildlife Sanctuary in Kanchanaburi, Thailand to observe the wild Asian elephant population and determine if the lunar cycle affected the presence of male and female elephants in agricultural lands and inside the sanctuary.
Recommended Citation
Rivera, Serene K., "The Effect of the Lunar Cycle on the Demographics of Asian Elephants Observed in Open Areas in a Protected Wildlife Sanctuary and Surrounding Crop Fields" (2024). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/1238