Sad Prognosis: Native Squirrel could vanish from the Northeast by 2050

Dhriti Bhadra

On December 3, 2020, a study by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) reported that a large tree forest squirrel is disappearing and by 2050 it could no longer be found in the Northeast. It is considered to be a “forest health indicator species” and this is indeed a grim prognosis. Studies suggest that the number of Malayan Giant Squirrel (Ratufa bicolour) could go down by 90% and without taking urgent steps, the species could die out in the upcoming decades.

The Malayan Giant Squirrel is one of the world’s largest squirrels and has a dark upper body with a long bushy tail. It is found in many parts of the world- Southern China, Thailand, Laos, Sumatra, Java, Malayan Peninsula and Vietnam. In India, it is found in West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Nagaland. Destruction and shrinkage of its habitat are two primary reasons for its eventual extinction and other threats include deforestation, fragmentation of forests, crop cultivation, illegal trade, hunting, slash & burn cultivation and crop cultivation.

Despite being listed as Near Threatened on IUCN’s 2016 list and “protected” under Schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, it faces a serious threat to its existence and adequate steps have not been taken for its protection till now.

[Dhriti Bhadra is a first year law student at NUJS, Kolkata]