Assam: Elephant Population In Dehing Patkai National Park Rises By 77%

DIBRUGARH: A recent wildlife census has found a staggering 77% rise in the number of wild Asian elephants in Assam's Dehing Patkai National Park as the population jumped from 196 in 2018 to 348 in 2025. The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of the Digboi Forest Division Ranjith Ram declared this milestone on Wednesday, giving credit to improved habitat management and continued conservation efforts.

Ram said, "The rise in the number of elephants reaffirms our work in habitat protection and conservation. A healthy population of elephants suggests a healthy ecosystem, which affects many other species." The survey, which used more than 200 motion-sensing camera traps across the park, also logged elusive predators like the clouded leopard and marbled cat, further solidifying Dehing Patkai as a hotspot of biodiversity.

Alongside the elephant population, the barking deer too has made a remarkable turnaround, with an increase in their numbers significantly following a worrisome dip a few years back. Ram laid stress on habitat conservation, anti-poaching, and community involvement to ensure such encouraging trends continue.

Declared a national park in 2021, Dehing Patkai measures 231.65 square kilometers in Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts. Nicknamed the "Amazon of the East," the park is home to vulnerable species such as tigers and hoolock gibbons and contains an impressive range of approximately 50 mammal species, 47 reptile species, and 310 butterfly species, marking its significance in northeast India's conservation efforts.

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