GUWAHATI: In a significant breakthrough for biodiversity conservation, officials from the Assam Forest Department and conservationists have captured the first photographic evidence of the Mainland Serow in the newly established Raimona National Park.
This vulnerable mammal species, recognised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), was documented near the Ganda Bajrum Anti-poaching camp in the park’s western range.
Utilising state-of-the-art white flash passive Panthera V6 digital camera traps, Aaranyak, a biodiversity conservation organisation, and the Assam Forest Department independently recorded the Mainland Serow in two separate events.
This discovery, detailed in a scientific paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, credits Aaranyak’s senior scientist Dr M Firoz Ahmed, senior conservation biologist Dr Dipankar Lahkar, and their team, along with collaboration from various experts including Forest officials and academic researchers.
Bhanu Sinha AFS, Divisional Forest Officer of Kachugaon Forest Division, expressed enthusiasm about the find, stating that the is good news for biodiversity conservation aspects.
“We are thrilled by the finding. Our goal is to conserve this species and other wildlife extensively in the national park,” he said.
The Mainland Serow, scientifically known as Capricornis sumatraensis thar, is distributed across habitats from the Himalayas to Southeast Asia, including parts of Bhutan’s Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and Royal Manas National Park.
Despite facing threats such as poaching and habitat destruction, this species’ sighting in Raimona National Park presents a hopeful opportunity for its conservation.
Dr. Ahmed of Aaranyak highlighted the collaborative effort behind the discovery, noting, “We would like to extend our warmest thanks to the National Park Authority for their collaborative efforts that led to the discovery of this beautiful species. There is a wealth of wildlife in Raimona National Park, and the finding of this species is good news for the conservation world.”
Dr. Lahkar highlighted the challenges ahead, stating the species’ populations are fragmented, isolated, and rapidly declining due to poaching, habitat destruction, and loss.
“The lack of reliable data on this species’ abundance and distribution makes it difficult to implement effective conservation actions to ensure long-term survival,” he said.
Raimona National Park, declared by the Assam government in June 2021, marks a significant conservation effort following decades of ethnopolitical conflict.
With renewed protection and conservation efforts bolstered by the Bodoland Territorial Council’s establishment in 2020, stakeholders aim to secure the Mainland Serow population and restore degraded habitats for sustained wildlife preservation.
