GUWAHATI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the Centre and other authorities on Monday, December 16, over the critically endangered status of feral horses in Assam’s Dibru-Saikhowa National Park.
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A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel took suo motu cognisance of a news report highlighting the dwindling numbers of feral horses. These untamed animals, believed to descend from domesticated horses, have been facing threats due to smuggling, habitat loss, shrinking grazing fields, floods, and inadequate conservation efforts.
The tribunal noted in detail that these horses are not covered under the Wildlife Protection Act, complicating their conservation. It further observed that the lack of a proper census has hindered the understanding of their current status.
Notices have been issued to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the National Biodiversity Authority, the Zoological Survey of India, the Wildlife Institute of India, and Assam's Chief Wildlife Warden. All respondents have been directed to file their replies by affidavit before the tribunal's eastern zonal bench in Kolkata.
The matter is scheduled for hearing on 27 February 2025.