The recently established Raimona National Park in Assam has captured its first photographic evidence of the Mainland Serow, a mammal listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). This milestone was achieved through the collaborative efforts of the Assam Forest Department and conservationists.
The photographs were taken using white flash passive Panthera (New York, USA) V6 digital camera traps. These cameras were set up in two separate locations near the Ganda Bajrum Anti-poaching camp, situated in the western range of Raimona National Park. The success of this endeavour is attributed to the dedicated work of Aaranyak, a leading biodiversity conservation organisation, and the Assam Forest Department.
The discovery is documented in a scientific paper published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. The authors of the paper include Aaranyak’s senior scientist Dr M Firoz Ahmed, senior conservation biologist Dr Dipankar Lahkar, Nibir Medhi, Nitul Kalita, Bhanu Sinha AFS (DFO of Kachugaon Forest Division), forest officials Pranjal Talukdar, Biswajit Basumatary, Tunu Basumatary, Dr Ramie H. Begum (Associate Professor, Assam University, Diphu campus), and Dr Abishek Harihar (Director of Tiger Program, Panthera).
“The discovery of Mainland Serow in Raimona National Park is good news for biodiversity conservation, and we are thrilled by the finding. Our goal is to conserve this species and other wildlife extensively in the national park,” stated Bhanu Sinha AFS, DFO of Kachugaon Forest Division.
The Mainland Serow is also found in the neighbouring Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan, which could support the population in Raimona National Park.
“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,” said Dr M Firoz Ahmed, senior scientist with Aaranyak.
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Dr Dipankar Lahkar, a senior conservationist with Aaranyak, highlighted the challenges faced by the Mainland Serow: “The Mainland Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis thar) is present across various habitats from the Himalayas on the Indian subcontinent to southern China, mainland southeastern Asia, and Sumatra. The species’ populations are fragmented, isolated, and rapidly declining due to poaching, habitat destruction, and habitat 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.”
Raimona National Park has faced significant conservation challenges, including occasional poaching for bushmeat and habitat alteration due to logging during ethnopolitical violence. The recent establishment of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTR) in 2020 and the Assam government’s declaration of Raimona as a national park on June 8, 2021, have invigorated conservation efforts. Future initiatives will focus on securing and recovering the species’ population and restoring degraded habitats.
Credit: Journal of Threatened Taxa
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