Ananya Lohia , Guwahati - In a major victory for global wildlife conservation, the endangered Asiatic wild dog, or dhole, has officially returned to the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape. Once feared locally extinct after vanishing from the region decades ago, the forest-dwelling predator is now being spotted in packs.  Environmentalists credit this ecological milestone to sustained government efforts to restore critical wildlife corridors, expand forest cover, and remove illegal encroachments.

The resurgence represents a massive shift from 2022, when researchers from the Wildlife Institute of India captured the first photographic evidence of a solitary dhole via camera traps. Today, those isolated sightings have evolved into confirmed pack activity, proving the animals are successfully breeding and establishing territories. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma highlighted that this comeback is a direct result of targeted habitat management across the 25,000-square-kilometre landscape. By clearing human encroachments and reducing disturbances along key transit routes, authorities successfully re-established safe passage between the low-lying floodplains of Kaziranga and the elevated forests of Karbi Anglong.

Wildlife experts state that the return of the dhole serves as a powerful blueprint for landscape-scale conservation. Because these apex pack hunters require large ranges and a dense prey base, their permanent presence indicates that the regional food chain and forest health are actively recovering. With the species currently listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this revival provides vital hope for the long-term survival of the Asiatic wild dog in Northeast India.