Why In The News?

• The Dhole, or Asiatic wild dog (Cuon alpinus), once thought locally extinct, was recently seen in Assam’s Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong Landscape (KKAL), according to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• The last confirmed sighting of dholes in northeast India was reported from Nagaland in 2011.

About the Dhole:

Social Behaviour:

• Highly social; typically form packs of up to 30 but may hunt alone or in pairs depending on prey availability.

Lifespan: 1

• 0–13 years in the wild; up to 16 years in captivity.

Threats:

• Major threats include habitat loss, prey depletion, persecution, disease, and competition with other predators — causing population fragmentation.

Distribution:

• Now restricted to parts of Central and Eastern Asia, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.

Conservation Status:

• It is included in CITES – Appendix II
• Dholes are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List.