Translocate, Keep In Enclosures: Chhattisgarh Bid To Save Its Wild Buffaloes From Extinction, Pg9

Key Highlights:

• Chhattisgarh's Forest Department plans to translocate Asiatic Wild Buffaloes from Assam to boost the dwindling population of its state animal.
• The wild buffaloes will be housed in enclosures at Pamed Wildlife Sanctuary, Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), and Indravati Tiger Reserve (ITR).
• The Asiatic Wild Buffalo is listed as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List and enjoys the highest protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Chhattisgarh's wild buffalo population has declined significantly, estimated at 12-16 individuals, down from 39-47 in 2005.
• A five-point action plan, developed with the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, and approved by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, aims for comprehensive conservation.

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Detailed Insights:

• India is home to over 90% of the global wild water buffalo population, with most found in Assam.
• The translocation strategy involves bringing buffaloes from Assam, a method previously successful at Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary, where a population of 11 now thrives.
• The plan includes radio-collaring the translocated animals for tracking and securing agreement from 17 villages in the core area of USTR for their release.
• Threats to the wild buffalo include poaching, shrinking habitat, retaliatory killings by villagers due to crop raiding, and interbreeding with domestic buffaloes, leading to genetic dilution.
• The comprehensive action plan focuses on scientific monitoring, habitat improvement, grassland and waterhole development, anti-poaching measures, disease surveillance, and genetic management.
• Past conservation efforts, such as cloning a female wild buffalo named Deepasha in 2015, were ultimately abandoned.
• The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, provides scientific expertise and advisory support for wildlife conservation.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Asiatic Wild Buffalo (Bubalus arnee): The largest wild bovine, native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, ancestor of domestic water buffalo.
• IUCN Red List: A comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species, classifying species into categories like "Endangered".
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Indian legislation providing legal protection to wild animals, birds, and plants, with Schedule I offering the highest level of protection.
• Translocation: The capture, transport, and release of wild animals from one location to another for conservation purposes.