Guwahati: The elusive dhole, or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), has been confirmed to have returned to Assam’s Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKAL), according to a recent study by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
Once believed to be locally extinct in the region, the species’ presence has been verified through camera trap images.
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The study, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, presents the first photographic evidence of the endangered carnivore in the Amguri corridor of KKAL.
Researchers Mujahid Ahamad, Jyotish Ranjan Deka, Priyanka Borah, Umar Saeed, Ruchi Badola, and Syed Ainul Hussain conducted the study, which underscores the importance of forest corridors in sustaining wildlife populations.
Ruchi Badola, Dean of WII’s Faculty of Wildlife Sciences, highlighted the importance of the discovery: “This finding is significant as it reinforces the ecological value of the Amguri corridor in supporting rare and threatened species. Dholes are highly sensitive to habitat disturbance, and their presence signals a healthy ecosystem.”
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The study notes that India is facing widespread wildlife decline driven by habitat destruction, deforestation, and climate change. However, rediscoveries like this one bring renewed hope for conservation.
The research was carried out in 2022 across four major animal corridors within the 25,000 sq. km Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Landscape, part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.
The corridors studied were Panbari, Haldhibari, Kanchanjuri, and Amguri. The dhole was photo-captured six times in the Amguri corridor, with all images appearing to show the same individual, located just 375 metres from National Highway 37 and 270 metres from the nearest human settlement.
Dholes, known for their complex social structure, often form packs of up to 30 but may also hunt in smaller groups or individually, depending on prey availability.
The global range of this endangered species has contracted sharply and is now less than 25% of its historical extent. Threats such as habitat fragmentation, prey scarcity, and human-wildlife conflict continue to endanger their survival.
The last confirmed dhole sighting in northeast India occurred in Nagaland in 2011.