Greenery or fear: Site use of Himalayan ibex in a predator-dominant landscape
Abstract
The Himalayan ibex (Capra sibirica), a prized trophy and crucial prey species of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), has increased in abundance alongside snow leopard populations due to ongoing conservation efforts. However, the behavioral strategies that enable ibex to persist in the predator-rich mountain ecosystems of Pakistan remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated habitat use and co-occurrence patterns of Himalayan ibex and snow leopards by using occupancy modeling. Ibex occupancy was positively associated with rugged terrain and higher elevations and negatively associated with distance from roads. Snow leopards showed a preference for rugged habitats. The co-occurrence of these species was mediated by roads. Ibex avoided snow leopard abundant areas by shifting toward more remote locations to reduce predation risk, whereas snow leopards adaptively track these prey movements. This study suggests that protecting remote, heterogeneous landscapes is essential for sustaining mountain ecosystems and predator-prey dynamics in northern Pakistan.
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BibTeX
@article{ali2026greenery,
title = {{Greenery or fear: Site use of Himalayan ibex in a predator-dominant landscape}},
author = {Hussain Ali and Chris Sutherland and Jaffar Ud Din and Muhammad Ali Nawaz},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.117885},
url = {https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03268-2},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Greenery or fear: Site use of Himalayan ibex in a predator-dominant landscape
AU - Hussain Ali
AU - Chris Sutherland
AU - Jaffar Ud Din
AU - Muhammad Ali Nawaz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117885
UR - https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(26)03268-2
AB - The Himalayan ibex (Capra sibirica), a prized trophy and crucial prey species of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), has increased in abundance alongside snow leopard populations due to ongoing conservation efforts. However, the behavioral strategies that enable ibex to persist in the predator-rich mountain ecosystems of Pakistan remain poorly understood. To address this gap, we investigated habitat use and co-occurrence patterns of Himalayan ibex and snow leopards by using occupancy modeling. Ibex occupancy was positively associated with rugged terrain and higher elevations and negatively associated with distance from roads. Snow leopards showed a preference for rugged habitats. The co-occurrence of these species was mediated by roads. Ibex avoided snow leopard abundant areas by shifting toward more remote locations to reduce predation risk, whereas snow leopards adaptively track these prey movements. This study suggests that protecting remote, heterogeneous landscapes is essential for sustaining mountain ecosystems and predator-prey dynamics in northern Pakistan.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -