Rare Asiatic Wild Dog Spotted in Manipur

Imphal: Camera traps in Shirui Village have snapped the first confirmed pictures of the endangered Asiatic wild dog in Manipur. This rare sighting happened in the Ukhrul district during a wildlife monitoring survey run by the Environmental Force at Grassroot Level, or ENFOGAL. Locals once thought the dhole had vanished from the Shirui hills. Now, the proof sits on digital film.

The species carries an endangered tag on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. Habitat loss is killing their numbers across Asia. To find the animal, Pamreithing, a former hunter turned conservationist, used his knowledge of the forest to set the traps. The survey work received support from the Ukhrul Forest Division and the Community-Based Sustainable Forest Management project.

Village patrol teams now monitor the woods to stop illegal hunting and trapping under a Forest Area Closure programme. Patrick Shangh, a co-founder of ENFOGAL, praised the Shirui Village Authority for banning hunts. He stated, "The finding highlighted the ecological importance of the Shirui landscape and indicated that further scientific surveys could reveal additional undocumented wildlife in the region." Future research could uncover even more hidden species in these hills.