Assam's Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary has recorded a first-ever sighting of the Smew (Mergellus albellus), a rare migratory diving duck, during the 7th Kaziranga Waterbird Count 2026, forest officials confirmed. The sighting, made across the sanctuary's key wetland habitats — the Rowmari, Dondowa and Muamari beels — also included the sanctuary's first documented Bengal florican, adding two significant new entries to Laokhowa's recorded bird diversity in a single survey.
Forest officials described the Smew sighting as an important indicator of the health of Laokhowa's wetlands and their growing value as a wintering ground for migratory waterbirds, arriving at a moment when the sanctuary is already being watched closely for a separate, longer-running conservation story: the natural return of rhinos to Laokhowa-Burhachapori four decades after the species was poached to local extinction there.
Background
The Smew is a small, strikingly patterned diving duck that breeds in the far north of Russia and Scandinavia and winters across parts of Europe and Asia, reaching Indian wetlands only in small, irregular numbers during particularly cold winters further north. Its presence at Laokhowa for the first time on record signals that the sanctuary's beels are now being recognised by migratory waterbirds as viable wintering habitat, a status that typically depends on stable water levels, low disturbance, and healthy aquatic vegetation and fish populations for the birds to feed on.
That habitat quality did not happen by accident. Laokhowa's ecological standing collapsed dramatically through the 1980s, when the sanctuary — once home to more than 70 Indian rhinos — saw its rhino population poached to local extinction, compounded by grassland habitat degradation from encroachment and other human pressures. A first attempt to reverse that collapse came in 2016, when a mother-daughter rhino pair was translocated to Laokhowa from Kaziranga National Park under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020 programme, but both animals died within months from natural causes, a setback that underscored how fragile the sanctuary's rebuilt ecosystem still was at the time.
The more durable turnaround began after 2023, when the Assam government added roughly 200 square kilometres to Orang National Park and cleared the area of encroachers, physically connecting Orang to Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary and creating a linked, protected corridor running from Orang through to Kaziranga. That corridor allowed rhinos to migrate into Laokhowa-Burhachapori naturally rather than through risky translocation — two rhinos entered the area in December 2023 and have since settled in, and by early 2025 five rhinos had migrated into the sanctuary via the connected corridors, part of a broader Indian Rhino Vision 2.0 goal of establishing a population of at least 20 rhinos in Laokhowa-Burhachapori. The Smew and Bengal florican sightings recorded this year are best understood as an extension of that same recovery story, playing out among the sanctuary's birdlife rather than its megafauna.
Key Details
- First-ever Smew (Mergellus albellus) sighting recorded at Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary during the 7th Kaziranga Waterbird Count 2026
- First documented Bengal florican sighting also recorded in the same survey
- Sightings made across the Rowmari, Dondowa and Muamari beels within the sanctuary
- The wider Kaziranga Waterbird Count 2026 recorded 105,540 birds across 107 species regionally
- Following a June 2026 anti-encroachment drive in the Singimari sub-beat, forest teams planted over 2,500 native saplings across 1.5 hectares to restore habitat
- An individual was arrested for illegal fishing within sanctuary waters as part of stepped-up enforcement
- Rhino population context: two rhinos naturally migrated into Laokhowa-Burhachapori in December 2023; five had done so by early 2025, part of an Indian Rhino Vision 2.0 target of at least 20
At a Glance
| Milestone | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Rhino population, early 1980s | Pre-poaching | 70+ rhinos resident |
| Rhino population | Through 1980s | Poached to local extinction |
| First reintroduction attempt | 2016 | 2 translocated rhinos, both died within months |
| Orang-Burhachapori corridor created | 2023 | ~200 sq km added, encroachers cleared |
| Natural rhino return begins | Dec 2023 – early 2025 | 5 rhinos migrated in naturally |
| First Smew & Bengal florican sightings | 2026 | Recorded during Kaziranga Waterbird Count |
Local Impact
For the forest staff and local communities around Laokhowa who have spent years on anti-encroachment and anti-poaching enforcement, the Smew sighting offers a rare, immediately legible sign of ecological payoff — unlike rhino population recovery, which unfolds over years and requires expert monitoring to track, a first-time rare bird sighting is the kind of milestone that draws birdwatching and eco-tourism interest fairly quickly. Assam's wetland sanctuaries increasingly compete with better-known destinations like Kaziranga for wildlife tourism, and a documented first sighting of a genuinely rare migratory species gives Laokhowa a specific, marketable distinction of its own. The recent enforcement actions — the Singimari anti-encroachment drive, sapling restoration, and the illegal-fishing arrest — also signal to nearby villages that the sanctuary's beels are being actively protected, which matters directly to communities whose own fishing and land-use practices around the sanctuary boundary are affected by stricter enforcement.
What Happens Next
Forest officials are expected to continue monitoring the Rowmari, Dondowa and Muamari beels through the remainder of the migratory season to determine whether the Smew's presence is a one-off cold-winter visitor or the start of a recurring wintering pattern, which would require several more years of consistent sightings to confirm. The sanctuary's habitat-restoration work in Singimari sub-beat is expected to continue, and forest officials are likely to maintain the recently stepped-up enforcement against illegal fishing and encroachment, both of which directly affect the water quality and disturbance levels that determine whether migratory waterbirds continue returning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Smew and why is its sighting at Laokhowa significant?
The Smew (Mergellus albellus) is a rare migratory diving duck that breeds in northern Russia and Scandinavia and only occasionally reaches Indian wetlands in winter. Its first-ever recorded sighting at Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary indicates the sanctuary's wetlands have become healthy enough to attract rare migratory waterbirds.
Where exactly was the Smew spotted?
The sighting was recorded across the Rowmari, Dondowa and Muamari beels (wetlands) within Laokhowa Wildlife Sanctuary during the 7th Kaziranga Waterbird Count 2026.
Was any other rare bird recorded at the same time?
Yes, the same survey also recorded the sanctuary's first-ever documented Bengal florican sighting.
What happened to Laokhowa's rhino population?
Laokhowa was home to more than 70 rhinos in the early 1980s before the population was poached to local extinction. A 2016 reintroduction of two translocated rhinos failed when both died within months, but rhinos began naturally returning via a restored habitat corridor starting December 2023.
How are rhinos returning to Laokhowa now?
Since 2023, the Assam government has expanded Orang National Park by roughly 200 square kilometres and cleared encroachers to connect it to Burhachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, creating a protected corridor that has allowed rhinos to migrate naturally into Laokhowa-Burhachapori rather than requiring risky translocation.
How many rhinos are now in Laokhowa-Burhachapori?
Five rhinos had naturally migrated into the sanctuary by early 2025, with the Indian Rhino Vision 2.0 programme targeting a population of at least 20 rhinos in the area.
What other conservation steps has Laokhowa taken recently?
Following a June 2026 anti-encroachment drive in the Singimari sub-beat, forest teams planted over 2,500 native saplings across 1.5 hectares, and authorities arrested an individual for illegal fishing within sanctuary waters.
What was the overall result of the 2026 Kaziranga Waterbird Count?
The count recorded 105,540 birds across 107 species across the wetlands surveyed, including the Laokhowa sightings.
Sources
Assam Tribune, The Tribune, Hub Network, Nagaland Post, The Sentinel Assam, International Rhino Foundation, Deccan Herald.