India, June 8 -- A recent report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has raised concerns over the declining population of ungulates - hoofed mammals such as deer, antelopes, and wild boars - in over a quarter of India's tiger habitats, citing rising civil unrest and human-wildlife conflict as major causes.

"Ungulates play a key role in sustaining large carnivores like tigers and leopards and medium ones like hyenas and jackals. A thriving ungulate population sustains these carnivores, which in turn play a vital role in regulating the predator-prey dynamic essential for maintaining ecological balance," the report uploaded on the WII website last week said.

The report, based on the first-ever study on the status of ungulates conducte...