Mithun (Bos frontalis) is an important livestock resource closely associated with the sociocultural and economic life of tribal communities in Northeast India. Traditional free-range rearing is increasingly challenged by shrinking grazing resources, animal health risks and limited herd monitoring. Scientific management, including semi-intensive rearing, improved feeding, preventive healthcare and systematic herd management, can help address these constraints (Khan & Mitra, 2021; Vikram et al., 2021). Tenning village of Peren district, Nagaland, provides an encouraging example of this transition. With technical guidance and continued field-level support from ICAR?National Research Centre on Mithun (ICAR?NRC on Mithun), farmers gradually adopted semi-intensive Mithun rearing, strengthened animal health management and revived collective action through a farmers? society. The community Mithun herd increased from 12 animals before the intervention to 128 animals by 2025. The experience demonstrates the potential of combining scientific knowledge, traditional community institutions and sustained extension support for strengthening Mithun-based livelihoods.