Wild Buffalo | 13 Aug 2019

Recently, the government has decided to translocate five female wild buffaloes from Manas National Park in Assam to Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in Raipur district, Chhattisgarh.

  • This will be the longest such translocation in the country ever, that seeks to revive the waning population of Chhattisgarh's State animal.
  • The survival hazard of inbreeding, poaching for horns and increasing male population have necessitated the translocation.
  • The Central India Wild Buffalo Recovery Project aims to stabilise the wild buffalo population in Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve.

Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee)

  • The wild buffalo is mainly found in the alluvial grasslands, marshes, swamps and river valleys. They are generally found in areas that have plenty of water holes and resources
  • The estimated population of the wild buffaloes in the Northeast is around 3,000-4,000, the largest in the country and accounting for 92% of the world population.
  • It is listed under Schedule 1 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • It is classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Source:TH