Assam News

Legend has it that in a village on the island of Majuli in Assam, whenever someone needed something, they would go to a nearby beel (wetland) and pray to the…

In a landmark moment for environmental activism in India, on March 17, Numaligarh Refinery Ltd. (NRL) began demolishing its 2.2-kilometre boundary wall in its township that had been restricting the…

A review of India’s 15-year rhino reintroduction programme in Assam finds that rhinos that were translocated in the state were able to adapt effectively to their new environment. It highlights…

Wildlife enthusiasts in Assam were in for a pleasant surprise recently as two species new to the region were identified in Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KTR) — the…

On May 27, 2020, an oil field owned by Oil India Limited in Baghjan, located near the wetland Maguri Motapung Beel in Assam, experienced a gas leak which led to…

On the bank of the horseshoe-shaped Safrai river in the Chala village of Assam’s Charaideo district, stands a lush evergreen forest of over 680 hectares. Nearby, the rectangular shaped structure…

A report by scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) outlines how the endangered western hoolock gibbon population in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary (HGS), Assam is fragmented because of a…

Dehing Patkai National Park, located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts of Assam, is known for its exceptional diversity of flora and fauna. About 48 mammals have been recorded here including…

Clouded leopards have developed nuanced coexistence strategies to survive in the wild by having a peak activity time that does not overlap with other carnivores and by potentially playing “hide-and-seek”…

Findings from a recent study conducted in Assam suggest that bats can have a positive impact on rice ecosystems. In the study, conducted over the Sali (winter) rice season of…

With more than 70 people and 80 elephants dying every year in the state, Assam is known for its very high record of human-elephant conflict incidences. The dwindling natural habitat…

In a major breakthrough, a poaching syndicate that extended from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra to Guwahati, Assam was recently busted. This was achieved by a joint effort by the forest departments of…

Pahi Bhumij shudders to recall that day, and says she is grateful to have escaped death. On May 5, as part of her routine, Bhumij went to work in a…

In Assam, Bohag Bihu and the kopou phool — the Assamese new year and the foxtail orchid — have an intimate connection. The blooming of this beautiful, pinkish-purple orchid on…

Rajiv Mahanta reminisces about his childhood memories of fishing in the Sumdiri river, about 200-300 metres from his home in the North Lakhimpur district of Assam. He had not been able…

Armed with the idea that shifting cultivation is primitive and unsustainable, based on a certain narrative she was exposed to in the academic world, Assam-born researcher Joli Rumi Borah had…

The 2022 Assam floods, following record-breaking rains, were the worst that the state has seen in the last decade. Soon-after, some districts faced a drought-like situation forcing farmers to work…

“It was around seven in the evening. During a routine inspection in my field, I discovered a herd of seven-eight wild boars. They were big, some 2.5-3 feet in height.…

Nipon Bora, 40, hoists his son onto his shoulders near the village of Pokhiajar in the Sonitpur district of Assam. A large herd of elephants with several tiny calves is…

In the first week of November, 2022, at around 5:30 in the morning, news spread that an elephant calf had probably died in a village paddy field in Udalguri district…