Itanagar, Jan. 27 -- In a major breakthrough for wildlife conservation, Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh recorded the first sighting of an adult male elephant in over a decade.

The rare sighting, captured on January 13, 2025, by a strategically placed camera trap, marks a significant achievement in the park's ongoing biodiversity protection efforts.

A 2022 Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) report had noted the absence of elephants in the park, citing factors such as hunting by local tribes and the potential market demand for elephants in surrounding areas.

Although elephants have occasionally passed through the park during the monsoon season, the challenging terrain and unpredictable weather have ma...