Raimona's hidden treasure: The Chinese pangolin

In a groundbreaking discovery, conservationists and forest officials have documented the first photographic evidence of the elusive Chinese pangolin in Assam's Raimona National Park (RNP) in Guwahati.

- ABHIJIT DEB

This rare find not only brings hope for biodiversity conservation but also challenges existing assumptions about pangolin distribution in the region.

The study, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa, was spearheaded by the Kachugaon Forest Division in collaboration with conservation NGO Aaranyak and other partners. This revelation marks a milestone in the continuous efforts to enhance conservation initiatives in the region.

"This discovery dispels the confusion about the occurrence of the Indian Pangolin in Assam and Northeast India," explained Dipankar Lahkar, senior conservation biologist at Aaranyak and lead author of the study.

She further added, "It will likely lead to a revision of the IUCN Red List's distribution map, aligning it with ground realities."