Around the end of monsoon in October, five female wild buffaloes will travel more than 1,500 km crossing five States — the longest such translocation in the country ever — from Assam to the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in Raipur district, to help revive the waning population of Chhattisgarh’s State animal and expand its territory across States.
With just nine buffaloes, including three females, left in the sanctuary, their revival across central India,a historical habitat, rests on hassle-free translocation, successful breeding and subsequent restocking of other habitats in the region.
Survival hazard
The survival hazard of inbreeding, continuing lineage and increasing male population have necessitated the translocation. “Scientists and government officials met earlier this year to finalise a translocation protocol. We are also assessing the viability of other historical habitats across the region to populate them later,” said Samir Kumar Sinha, Deputy Director and Head of Species Recovery Division, Wildlife Trust of India, Chhattisgarh.
Stating that 20-25 buffaloes of Indravati National Park in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, also frequently travel to neighbouring Kolamarka Conservation Reserve in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, he said, “Over time, we’ll have to release their progenies in other areas. Keeping them in one place won’t be sustainable. There needs to be a landscape approach across the States as corridors cut across them.”
On the translocation of the buffaloes, which are heavy and grow horns more than a metre long,
Regional head of WTI Rajendra Prasad Mishra said it will be a challenge. “We have readied plans for both rail and road methods. It will be finalised a few days before the translocation. We’ll try to bring subadults as they don’t have long horns. It’ll be easier to translocate them.”
Chief Wildlife Warden of Chhattisgarh Atul Shukla said the female buffaloes would most likely be brought from Manas National Park in Assam, kept under observation here for a few days and later released into the wild. “While the government will provide the infrastructure, the WTI will provide technical support,” he said.
Endangered species
The estimated population of the wild buffaloes ( Bubalus arnee ) 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, and classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, according to the WTI.
When the translocation plan was mooted, several conservationists initially questioned whether the buffaloes found in central India would be similar to the ones in the Northeast and be compatible. The government sent genetic samples to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, and got the approval.
“There will be only a bit of difference in the habitat. Even in central India there are waterbodies and grasslands for them to survive,” said Mr. Sinha.
