Context:
The Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), commonly known as the dhole, has been rediscovered in Assam’s Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKAL) after being believed locally extinct for years. This finding, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, underscores the need to protect wildlife corridors and reassess the presence of lesser-known species in Indian forests.
Key Findings of the Study:
- The study provided the first-ever camera-trap evidence of the endangered canid in the Amguri corridor of KKAL.
- The dhole was photo-captured on six occasions in 2022.
- All photographs recorded a single individual, located about 375 metres from National Highway 37 and approximately 270 metres from the nearest human settlement.
- The research focused on four important animal corridors within the 25,000 sq. km landscape:
- Panbari
- Haldhibari
- Kanchanjuri
- Amguri
- KKAL lies within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, an area globally recognised for its rich wildlife diversity.
- The presence of the dhole demonstrates the ecological value of these forest corridors, which also support tigers, leopards, elephants, and other species.
About the Dhole:
The dhole is an endangered carnivore native to Central, South, and Southeast Asia. It is a highly social animal, typically forming packs that may contain up to 30 individuals.
· Dholes are skilled hunters, capable of taking down prey much larger than themselves, but they also adapt by hunting alone or in pairs when prey is scarce.
· Historically, dholes ranged widely across Asia, but their current global range has shrunk to less than a quarter of its former extent.
· The species now survives in fragmented pockets in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
· Major threats include habitat loss, depletion of prey species, and retaliatory killings by humans.
Conservation Implications:
The rediscovery of the dhole has strong implications for conservation planning. It confirms that critical corridors within landscapes like KKAL are still functional and can sustain rare species if managed carefully. The study underlines the need to prioritise the protection and restoration of wildlife linkages to ensure the survival of both charismatic megafauna and lesser-known carnivores.
Conclusion
The return of the dhole in Assam is a reminder that India’s biodiversity is resilient but vulnerable. It shows that proactive conservation measures, regular monitoring, and safeguarding of habitats are essential for preventing local extinctions. Protecting corridors like Amguri not only benefits high-profile species like tigers and elephants but also ensures that important predators such as the dhole can reclaim their place in the ecosystem. This rediscovery offers hope and a timely call to strengthen conservation strategies in rapidly changing landscapes.
