Guwahati, April 27: In a breakthrough for wildlife documentation in India’s Northeast, researchers have recorded the first photographic evidence of a ferret badger (Melogale sp.) from Tripura. The elusive mammal was captured on camera traps deep within the undulating forests of Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary, confirming its presence in the state for the first time through systematic scientific methods.
The discovery was made by Omkar Patil, Ashutosh Joshi, and Amey Parkar from the Vivek PARC Foundation, during a rapid mammal survey funded by The Habitats Trust. Between March and April 2024, the team set up 46 camera traps across the sanctuary’s rugged terrain. Nestled between hillocks and active jhum (shifting cultivation) patches, one semi-dry seasonal stream became the unlikely stage for a major find. Over just 10 nights, the camera traps recorded 40 images of a ferret badger, all captured during the dark hours, revealing its nocturnal foraging habits. The findings have been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
The Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest protected area in Tripura. The sanctuary’s varied terrain, from 31 m to 419 m, includes ridges, narrow valleys, and both seasonal and perennial streams, providing habitats for diverse biota.
Ferret badgers, members of the mustelid family, are notoriously shy and understudied. In India, only two species are known—the Large-toothed and Small-toothed Ferret Badgers—both more often recorded anecdotally than through formal surveys.
Prior to this, sightings were limited to neighboring states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Arunachal Pradesh, but none had been scientifically confirmed in Tripura. In Meghalaya, there have been four documented occurrences in close proximity to Balpakram Natonal Park within the South Garo Hills District, and a fifth observation near the town of Tura situated in the western region of West Garo Hills District.
Interestingly, the camera traps recorded the badger’s movement patterns around jhum cultivation areas, echoing similar observations from studies in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya. Such adaptability suggests the species’ resilience to habitat disturbance—a hopeful sign for conservationists.
“Our photographic evidence of the ferret badger marks a first scientifically confirmed record to the current checklist of mammals of Tripura. Furthermore, it underscores the imperative to investigate the natural history of small carnivores, particularly lesser known species, considering the looming threats to the habitat and dynamic ecological landscape of the state, to ensure their continued sustenance” the researchers say.
The researchers said the pictures documented the nocturnal foraging behavior of this lesser known species.
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