Heavy rains in Assam’s Tinsukia district have submerged the grasslands of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park, forcing the park’s iconic feral horses out of their natural habitat and onto nearby roads. On April 25, two of the animals were seen foraging along National Highway 37 after floodwaters transformed their feeding grounds into wide, temporary lakes.
Widely believed to descend from cavalry and cart horses abandoned by British and Allied forces during World War II, these feral horses are one of India’s most unusual wildlife legacies. The herd has roamed for nearly eight decades across the park’s riverine floodplains, grassy chapories (seasonal riverine grasslands) and woodlands, adapting to the Brahmaputra’s seasonal rhythms.
Dibru-Saikhowa, notified as a national park in 1999 and designated a biosphere reserve, remains the only area in India known to support a free-roaming population of such equines. The animals typically move in small groups of three to 15 and graze on nutrient-rich grasses, but recent heavy rainfall has pushed many individuals into atypical areas close to human habitation.
“These fantastic horses carry the untamed spirit of survival, turning wartime abandonment into a story of wild resilience across generations,” a local conservationist said. Forest officials and experts warn, however, that annual monsoon floods not only displace the horses but also erode crucial grazing lands. Invasive plant species and competition from domestic cattle are further shrinking their habitat.
“The same floods that nourish this wetland ecosystem often become a threat to its most charismatic residents,” a forest official said. With intensifying rainfall patterns linked to climate change, such sightings along NH-37 highlight the herd’s growing vulnerability; recent studies estimate the population at between 150 and 200 individuals.
Conservationists are urging stronger habitat protection, more regular monitoring and measures to reduce human-wildlife conflict to safeguard the herd. The images of horses foraging beside a national highway serve as a stark reminder of the fragile balance between history, resilience and mounting environmental pressures in Assam’s wetlands.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/assam/video/assam-flooded-grasslands-displace-dibru-saikhowas-feral-horses-onto-nh-37-1381406-2026-04-25?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-04-25 19:05:00
