NorthEast Now

Guwahati: Six villages in Mizorams Dampa landscape have received solar-powered mobile charging stations, providing communities with a practical source of power during outages while promoting renewable energy in the forest-fringe region. The charging stations were inaugurated at Damparengpui on September 8 during a stakeholder meeting organised by biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in collaboration with Conservation [] The post Solar-powered charging stations installed in six village

Guwahati: Madhuri, the elephant known as Mahadevi in Maharashtras Kolhapur, will return to the city following an order passed by the High-Powered Committee (HPC) on September 9. Madhuri was brought to Vantara in Jamnagar on July 30, 2025, in compliance with the HPCs directions, which were upheld by the Bombay High Court and the Supreme [] The post Elephant Madhuri to return to Kolhapur following High-Powered Committee order: Vantara appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Doomdooma: A wild elephant spotted roaming in Assams Golaghat district on Thursday with a large tyre lodged around its neck was rescued after the Forest Department launched an operation to remove it. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Thursday evening, Whether it is a human being or an animal, it is our responsibility [] The post Assam: Wild elephant rescued with tyre removed from neck in Golaghat appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Dibrugarh: Serious allegations have emerged regarding the alleged illegal capture and trafficking of Channa barca, locally known as Cheng fish, a rare species found in Assams aquatic ecosystems of the Brahmaputra Valley. The alleged operation is reportedly linked to a network based in Tinsukia district that is said to be sourcing the fish from different [] The post Alleged trafficking network targets protected Channa barca fish from Assam, Arunachal appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: Scientists have recorded a rare high-altitude Himalayan fish, Schizopygopsis waddellii (Regan, 1908), in India for the first time, after collecting specimens from a natural lake in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh. Researchers from the ICAR-Central Institute of Coldwater Fisheries Research (ICAR-CICFR), Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, collected specimens of the species in July 2026 from a high-altitude [] The post Rare high-altitude Himalayan fish recorded in India for first time in Arunacha

Digboi: An elephant calf aged around four to six weeks was rescued from a muddy trench at Seconee Tea Estate near Assams Kaziranga National park on Wednesday morning after its herd failed to pull it out. The herd reportedly tried several times to rescue the calf, but the depth and muddy conditions of the trench [] The post Assam: Elephant calf rescued from muddy trench near Kaziranga, shifted for rehabilitation appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Doomdooma: The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) has intensified its nationwide action against illegal wildlife trafficking, uncovering a major cross-border network involved in the movement of protected species and wildlife derivatives, officials said. Over the past 10 days, the agency carried out six intelligence-driven operations across the country, resulting in the seizure of two leopard [] The post DRI uncovers cross-border wildlife trafficking network, seizes protected species in As

Checkmate Government Relations, a lobbying firm founded by a hunting friend of Donald Trump Jr., recently represented Vantara, a controversial private Indian zoo that has been in the spotlight over the questionable origins of some of its more than 150,000 animals, which include protected and endangered species. Tristan Breijer,the head of the U.S.-based lobby firm [] The post Vantara under scrutiny over lobbyists links to Trump Jr. and pro-hunting groups appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: Two critically endangered ring-tailed lemurs stolen from Bangladeshs Gazipur Safari Park in March 2025 have reportedly been traced to Vantara, the wildlife conservation and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat associated with Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambanis son Anant Ambani, prompting Bangladeshi authorities to seek assistance from Interpol for their repatriation. The development follows an investigation by [] The post Two critically endangered Lemurs allegedly smuggled from Bangladesh tr

Guwahati: Five young orangutans have been rescued from a casuarina plantation in Odishas Balasore district, prompting a probe into how the endangered animals, which are not native to India, reached the area. The orangutans were found in the Udayapur section of the Jaleswar Range in the Udayapur-Talsari forest area during routine patrolling on September 8. [] The post Five young orangutans rescued from Odisha plantation; STF begins probe appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: The People for Himalaya campaign, an umbrella grouping of 60 civil society organisations, progressive groups and activists from the Indian Himalayan region, has called for the Himalayas to be declared a no-go zone for high-risk mega infrastructure projects following the August 26 ice-rock avalanche that triggered devastating floods in Nepal which has claimed thousands [] The post Civil society coalition seeks no-go zones for mega infrastructure in the Himalayas appeared first on NorthE

Guwahati: Serious questions are being raised over the Assam Forest Departments handling of captive elephants after a female elephant, Durga, was allegedly moved out of Manas National Park in the dead of night and transported to a temple in Tamil Naduwithout any public disclosure from the department. Sources said Durga was secretly shifted from Manas [] The post Assam Forest dept under fire over secret elephant transfer from Manas appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: All activities of Shree Cement in Meghalaya will remain suspended while an independent fact-finding committee examines the environmental, social, legal and criminal concerns raised by the Khasi Students Union (KSU). The Meghalaya government has also assured the KSU that the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police of East Jaintia Hills will have no role [] The post Meghalaya govt excludes DC, SP from Shree Cement panel after KSU objections appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: The Assam government has taken down a 2022 Gazette notification identifying nine wildlife corridors linking Kaziranga National Park to the Karbi Anglong hills, days after Northeast Now and other media outlets reported that details of the Panbari corridor were missing from it. The Environment, Forest and Climate Change Departments webpage that previously hosted the [] The post Kaziranga wildlife corridor notification removed from Assam govt site: Is Reliances Methoni Tea Estate set to b

Guwahati: Global temperatures are likely to exceed the 1.5C warming threshold within the next few years, intensifying climate risks and potentially pushing ecosystems and communities into increasingly dangerous conditions, according to a new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, Limiting Overshoot, however, says the world can still work towards returning global [] The post Global warming likely to breach 1.5C threshold within years: UNEP report appeared first on

Guwahati: Vantara on Friday announced the full membership of its newly established Governing Council, which will oversee its conservation, rescue and compliance work and help set the organisations vision for the next five years and beyond. The Council will also take the final decision on any future applications to import wild animals. It comprises five [] The post Vantara announces members of new independent Governing Council appeared first on NorthEast Now .

While Assam was reeling under the ravaging floods, and the devastation in Sivasagar and Charaideo districts was still vivid in the collective memory of the people, a new issue cropped up in August 2026 that swept Assam like a storm. This was about the state governments draft proposal for notifying an eco-sensitive zone around Kaziranga [] The post Kaziranga Eco-Sensitive Zone Furore: What Lies Behind 10-Km Debate in Assam appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Dharamtul: A public hearing on a proposed cement grinding unit at Dharamtul in Central Assams Morigaon district allegedly turned into a farce on Friday (August 28, 2026), as the administration did not allow villagers opposing the unit to register their submissions at the hearing. The public hearing took place at Khanduba in Dharamtul, under Jagiroad [] The post Assam: Max Cement plant hearing turns farce as villagers denied voice appeared first on NorthEast Now .

Guwahati: Residents of Pub Dharamtul, Bhalukaguri and surrounding areas in central Assams Morigaon district have raised a series of questions over the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared for the proposed 1 million TPA cement grinding unit of Max Cement Industries Pvt. Ltd. at Pub Dharamtul and Bhalukaguri. The objections come ahead of the scheduled [] The post Assam: Residents flag major gaps in draft EIA ahead of Max Cement public hearing in Morigaon appeared first on NorthEast