March 6, 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken suo motu cognizance of the "alarming decline" in the population of feral horses in Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, issuing a notice to the Assam government.

The tribunal has sought detailed information and directed the Forest Department to submit an affidavit within four weeks.

The issue of illegal trade and trafficking of these rare horses has been raised, with allegations of smuggling and neglect by the Forest Department despite concerns over habitat loss, shrinking grazing fields, and floods.

In 2024, the NGT had issued a notice to the Centre and other authorities over the critically endangered status of feral horses in Dibru-Saikhowa. The tribunal noted that these "unique" horses, found only in this national park, face extinction and require urgent intervention.

The NGT has impleaded multiple authorities as respondents, including the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Assam's Chief Wildlife Warden. The matter is scheduled for hearing on February 27.

The feral horses of Dibru-Saikhowa have survived in the wild for about 80 years and are believed to be descendants of World War II war horses or China's Przewalski's horse species.