Conservation efforts help revival of endangered dholes in Assam: Himanta

The endangered Asiatic wild dogs, or dholes, have returned to Assam's Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape in larger numbers due to the government's conservation efforts.

The endangered Asiatic wild dogs, or dholes, have returned to Assam's Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape in larger numbers after a camera trap had captured the image of a lone member of the species four years ago, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Saturday.

Attributing the rise in the population of dholes to the government's conservation efforts, Sarma said his administration was working towards creating conditions in which wildlife could thrive again.

''A silent and highly efficient predator, the dhole once roamed freely across our forests before fading from the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape,'' Sarma said in a post on X.

''But nature has its own way of returning. Through consistent efforts to protect and expand forest cover, strengthen habitat connectivity and free up encroached lands, we are creating conditions where wildlife can thrive again,'' he added.

Sarma said that from a ''lone camera trap image in 2022 to direct sightings and now confirmation of a pack in 2026, this is a powerful story of revival'', as he shared the state's success story of wildlife conservation on the social media site.

''The return of an apex predator like the Dhole is not just about one species. It signals a healthier ecosystem, stronger connectivity and the success of sustained conservation efforts,'' the CM added.

Dholes are wild members of the dog family, found in the forests of South and Southeast Asia.

They are listed as 'Endangered' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to decreasing population.