DEHRADUN: The dhole, or Asian wild dog, may have disappeared from Uttarakhand’s forests, with no recent confirmed sightings in areas where it was once reported. Wildlife experts say its decline raises concerns about biodiversity conservation and the health of forest ecosystems.
Wildlife observers say dholes were spotted in areas ranging from Dhaul Khand in Rajaji Tiger Reserve to the forests of Corbett around 15 to 20 years ago. Reports suggest they were present in relatively good numbers in Dhaul Khand until the 1980s. They lived in packs and hunted deer, sambar and other prey.
A 2018 study by researchers at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, recorded camera-trap images of dholes in the Kheda Tal area of Uttarkashi district. The findings were published in the journal Mammalia in a paper titled “Recent records of dhole in Uttarakhand”. No newer confirmed records from the areas where they were once reported have emerged.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority’s 2018 report, Status of Leopards, Co-predators and Megaherbivores in India, also noted a contraction in the species’ historical range. Habitat loss, declining prey availability and increasing human activity near forests are among the factors associated with its decline.
Dholes are found in several parts of India, including the Western and Eastern Ghats, central India and the Northeast. Their populations in the Himalayan region are considered relatively small and scattered. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as Endangered.
Speaking to TNIE, wildlife expert and former deputy director of the Forest Department Rangnath Pandey said, "Dholes are highly social animals. They hunt in groups, pursuing prey until it tires. Their diet can include chital, sambar and other medium-sized hoofed animals, with prey preferences varying according to availability."
"Research has also identified habitat fragmentation, human disturbance and diseases spread by domestic dogs as threats. Roads and settlements can disrupt wildlife movement, while contact with free-roaming dogs may expose dholes to rabies and canine distemper," he added.
WII senior scientist Bilal Habib warned that dholes may have disappeared from Uttarakhand and called for efforts to bring them back. “The dhole is an important part of the ecosystem, and efforts should be made to reintroduce it. It was still present in some parts of Uttarakhand about 15 to 20 years ago,” Habib said.