37 endangered butterflies recorded in Dehing National Park

Altogether 165 butterfly species, including 37 endangered ones, have been recorded in Assam’s Dehing Patkai National Park, highlighting the rich biodiversity of the rainforest, officials said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has highlighted the finding as another remarkable example of the state’s rich natural heritage, with Dehing Patkai emerging as a thriving haven for butterfly diversity, Forest and Climate Change Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said in a post on X.
“A total of 165 butterfly species have been recorded in the region, including 37 endangered species, underlining the immense ecological importance of this biodiversity-rich landscape,” Baruah said.
The presence of such a diverse butterfly population reflects the importance of protecting healthy and connected natural habitats, he added. “More than just a national park, Dehing Patkai is a thriving ecosystem where forests, wildlife and countless smaller species coexist,” the minister said.
Conservation efforts are helping create safer conditions for rare and endangered species to survive and flourish, strengthening Assam’s larger mission of protecting its biodiversity, he added.
“From majestic elephants and tigers to the smallest and most colourful butterflies, Assam’s forests continue to prove that every species has a role in keeping nature alive,” Baruah said.
The Dehing Patkai National Park, with an area of 234.26 sq km, is located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, and is famous for Assam Valley Tropical Wet Evergreen Forests bordering Arunachal Pradesh.
The Park is a part of the 937 sq km large Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve, having the World War-II cemeteries nearby along with the Stilwell Road, the oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and an ‘open cast’ coal mine at Lido.
The national park is home to the Chinese pangolin, flying fox, slow loris, stump-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, capped langur, hoolock gibbon, Himalayan black bear, Hog–badger, leopard cat, clouded leopard, leopard, tiger, sambar, barking deer and Malayan giant squirrels. (PTI)