MSF calls for collective action to protect endangered Sangai

The Manipur Students’ Federation has appealed to the people of Manipur and the state government to take urgent and collective responsibility to protect the Sangai, the state animal of Manipur, warning that continued neglect could lead to its extinction from the world.
In a press statement issued by Khangembam Tanzania, Environment and Ecology Affairs’ Secretary of the Manipur Students’ Federation headquarters, the federation stated that the Sangai, which is deeply associated with the history, culture, and identity of Manipur, faces serious threats due to habitat degradation, climate change, and human-induced interventions. The statement stressed that the people of Manipur should not forget their responsibility to safeguard the rare brow-antlered deer, describing the present situation as critical and requiring immediate action.
The MSF highlighted that the Sangai is found nowhere else in the world except in the floating wetlands of Keibul Lamjao National Park on Loktak Lake. It recalled that the Manipur government officially declared Keibul Lamjao as a national park on March eighteen, nineteen seventy-seven, with the primary objective of conserving the Sangai and its unique habitat. The park covers an area of about forty square kilometres, of which twenty-six square kilometres comprise floating phumdis that serve as the deer’s natural feeding and movement grounds.
According to the Manipur Students’ Federation, significant changes in the ecological balance of Loktak Lake have severely affected the Sangai’s habitat and food sources. The construction of the Ithai Barrage under the Loktak Hydroelectric Project has altered the natural relationship between land and water in the lake, resulting in habitat destruction and loss of vegetation. These factors, the federation stated, have contributed to the sharp decline in the Sangai population, leading scholars and researchers to classify the species as critically endangered.
The press statement noted that the Sangai is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List as an endangered species and is protected under Schedule One of the Wildlife Protection Act, nineteen seventy-two, as well as Appendix One of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. Despite this legal protection, the federation expressed concern over what it described as a lack of effective care and monitoring by the concerned government departments.
Referring to global warming, climate change, and artificial disasters, the Manipur Students’ Federation cautioned that any further ecological disturbance could pose a serious risk to the survival of the Sangai. It urged the Manipur government to consult experts and stakeholders to identify and develop additional suitable habitats within the state to ensure the long-term conservation of the species.
The MSF also recalled that the Sangai was declared the state animal of Manipur on March 21, 1989, through an official gazette notification, and described it as an animal inseparably linked to the history and heritage of the land. Calling for broad-based participation, the Manipur Students’ Federation appealed to students, youth, civil society organisations, political leaders, clubs, and Meira Paibis to come forward to protect the Sangai and preserve the ecological and cultural pride of Loktak Lake and its floating phumdis.