Guwahati: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the Central government and other stakeholders regarding the critically endangered status of feral horses in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, Assam.
The tribunal’s intervention comes after a news report highlighted the horses’ dwindling numbers due to smuggling, habitat loss, and neglect by conservation officials.
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A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel stated that the unique horses found only in the national park, are facing extinction and require urgent intervention.
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The horses believed to be descendants of war horses from World War II or China’s Przewalski’s horse species, have survived in the wild for about 80 years.
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The tribunal noted that the horses are not covered under the Wildlife Protection Act, and the absence of a census makes it difficult to ascertain their conservation status.
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The matter indicates a violation of the provisions of the Biodiversity Act and Environment Protection Act.
The NGT has impleaded the secretaries of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and the National Biodiversity Authority, among others, as respondents in the case. The matter will be heard on February 27.