Guwahati: Barnadi Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam’s Udalguri district has recorded direct and confirmed sightings of wild dogs (Cuon alpinus), commonly known as dholes, marking a significant conservation milestone and indicating improved ecological connectivity in the sanctuary’s grassland-forest landscape.
The confirmation is based on field observations and camera-trap evidence from the sanctuary, which was established in 1995 in the Bhutan foothills and covers 11.25 sq km (1,125 hectares).
Barnadi is regarded as a critical link in the region’s grassland ecosystem, where the pygmy hog (Porcula salvania) was rediscovered in the 1980s.
The sanctuary’s grassland-forest mosaic supports several threatened and endemic species.
The confirmed presence of dholes, an apex social carnivore known for pack hunting and characteristic whistling communication, suggests improved habitat conditions and the recovery of prey populations.
Although dholes were historically abundant in the region, they were persecuted during the 19th century and are now rare across northeastern India, making their reappearance in Barnadi particularly significant.
Telemetry data from collared elephants and ongoing field research have also shown that elephants and other large mammals continue to use Barnadi as part of wider wildlife movement corridors, reinforcing the sanctuary’s importance in maintaining landscape-scale ecological connectivity.
The sanctuary experienced neglect during periods of civil unrest, and a pygmy hog release programme carried out in 2016 did not result in an apparent long-term population.
However, intensified wildlife monitoring, habitat management and community engagement in recent years have improved wildlife detection and protection efforts.
The dhole sightings indicate that natural recolonisation is possible when habitat connectivity and protection improve. Their presence is expected to contribute to restoring ecological balance across the grassland-forest interface.
The identified priority conservation measures include expanding camera-trap and pugmark or track surveys, conducting targeted assessments of prey populations, strengthening anti-poaching patrols, implementing grassland management through controlled burning regimes and invasive species control, and reinforcing community-based measures to mitigate potential human-wildlife conflict.
The conservation strategy also envisages collaboration with state and national research institutions, conservation NGOs and local communities to establish long-term wildlife monitoring, undertake collaring studies where appropriate, and develop adaptive management plans to secure viable populations of dholes and other grassland-dependent species.