Assam is all set to provide wild buffalos to Chhattisgarh.
Female wild buffalos from Assam will be translocated to the forest of Chhattisgarh.
Official sources said the governments of Chhattisgarh and Assam have come to an understanding over the proposal. The initiative was taken to conserve the endangered buffaloes which have been facing an extinction threat.
Sameer Kr. Sinha, deputy director in Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) said that Assam and other northeastern states have the presence of large number of wild buffaloes.
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“Both the governments have come to an understanding that female wild buffaloes will be translocated to Chhattisgarh,” said Sinha. The WTI was entrusted by the Chhattisgarh government to conserve wild buffaloes.
He said that the initiative was taken following the fact that the number of female wild buffaloes in Chhattisgarh is almost nil.
In the Northeast, the number of wild buffaloes would be around 3,500 which constitute the largest population.
“Earlier, there was only one female wild buffalo with 12 other male buffaloes in Udantika forest of Chattisgarh,” said Sinha.
He said that buffalos were found in the Indiravati Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra “but due to logistic reasons we can’t reach there.”
Sinha also emphasized on the need to stop the unnatural deaths of buffaloes.
The WTI official emphasized on the need to create political awareness for this endangered species which is listed in schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.