Assam Forest and Wildlife officials accompanied by conservationists have recorded the first photographic proof of the Mainland Serow, a vulnerable mammal species notified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), an official said on Friday. Forest officials said that the Mainland Serow was spotted in the newly declared Raimona National Park in Kokrajhar district of Assam, adjoining West Bengal and Bhutan. Assam Forest Department officials accompanied by conservationists of Aaranyak, northeastern region’s foremost biodiversity conservation organisation, recently captured the photographic evidence of Mainland Serow in two separate events near the Ganda Bajrum Anti-poaching camp, located in the western range of Raimona National Park, using white flash passive Panthera V6 digital camera traps.
The finding is published as a scientific paper in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. Divisional Forest Officer of Kachugaon Forest Division Bhanu Sinha said that the discovery of Mainland Serow in Raimona National Park is good news for biodiversity conservation aspects, and 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 population is widely distributed in the neighbouring Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary and the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan, which may contribute to Raimona National Park’s population recovery. Senior scientist with ‘Aaranyak’, M. Firoz Ahmed .
