Fate of Wild Water Buffaloes now depends on 13-year-old surviving adult female Asha

NEW DELHI: The fate of an entire species depends on this 13-year-old. She is the lone known surviving adult female of the species in its natural habitat. Aptly named Asha, she holds the hope for the survival of genetically pure wild water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis arnee), which once grazed widely through the central Indian plains.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the wild water buffalo an ‘endangered species’ and in India it is among the animals protected with highest priority under law. With their numbers dwindling to an alarming level, the situation calls for urgent conservation steps to ensure that this bovid isn’t wiped out from India.

The numbers are precariously placed. And, Asha’s home, the 232-sq-km Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary in Raipur district of Chhattisgarh, is critical to saving the last of the genetically pure wild buffalo in India. There are just 11 wild water buffaloes at Udanti. The Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh is estimated to have as many as 25, but protecting the animals there is a risky affair as it is in the hotbed of Naxal activity. Some 3,000-4,000 wild buffaloes are estimated to be in Northeastern states.

But the the wild water buffalos there are said to have been “corrupted” because of crossbreeding with domesticated buffaloes. The situation is similar in some other pockets where they are found. Asha literally delivered hope earlier this year. After a string of male calves, she gave birth to a female. She is named ‘Kiran’.

Meanwhile, at the National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) in far off Karnal, Haryana, scientists successfully cloned a female calf from Asha. She is named Deepasha. Together, this female triumvirate and their survival will determine if the wild buffalo – the state animal of the Raman Singhruled Chhattisgarh – survives the tyranny of habitat loss and domestication.



LOSS OF HABITAT

The buffalo is one of the worst-affected mammalian species in recent times because of meddling by humans. It has been domesticated aggressively and it suffered habitat loss with increasing human encroachment. In earlier times, the wild ones were also widely poached for meat and hide.

Habitat creation and conservation are key to the survival of this animal, said Dr RP Mishra, who has been closely involved in conservation efforts in Chhattisgarh and is the head of the Wild Buffalo Recovery Project and regional head-central India for the Wildlife Trust of India.

Buffalo population in the Northeast survived several odds owing to the swampy nature of the habitat and availability of moisture, while the hard-ground habitat in the central Indian plains is possibly working unfavourably for the disappearing buffalo. “While a wild buffalo could live up to 20-22 years, her reproductive cycle is expected to only continue up to the age of 15-17. This means, (from Asha) we may expect no more than three-four (more) calves. It is important that we provide them the right habitat,” Mishra told ET.

There are plans to translocate some wild buffaloes after adequate genetic testing from the Northeast to the Central Indian Plains. That apart, villages have to be relocated out of their habitat to prevent domestication, he said.

CENTRAL SUPPORT

At a June 24 meeting of the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wild Life – the apex body in the environment ministry on wild life matters – it was decided that the Centre “consider financial support for conservation of the wild buffalo in Chhattisgarh”. The environment ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting next week to decide on enhanced funding.

“The Centre is taking keen interest in the conservation of the wild buffalo and it has been recently decided that funds will be soon released to the state for scaling up the conservation programme. Rs 20 crore has been earmarked for conservation of five species including the wild water buffalo,” a top official at the ministry told ET on condition of anonymity.

Additional funds for the wild buffalo conservation will be routed from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority, the official said. Chhattisgarh had sent two proposals to the ministry seeking about Rs 4 crore to scale up the conservation plans further.

“While there has been recent good news with the birth of a female calf and the successful cloning of another, this conservation is a long-term plan. With just seven adult males and one adult female at Udanti, this is still not a viable population. We are keeping both the new calves under close observation to ensure their survival,” Dr Arvind Anil Boaz, principal chief conservator of forests told ET. “Our larger plan is to introduce the species back in the wild so that a viable population can be achieved in natural circumstances.”

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