Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Decades back, wild buffaloes roamed in Kanha and other places in Madhya Pradesh. But their population got wiped out over period of time. Now, forest department is making efforts to revive their population by bringing wild buffaloes to Kanha National Park from Assam.
A forest department senior official said a proposal had been prepared to this effect. This is going to be unique project wherein any herbivore animal will be brought from such a long distance.
“About 50 years back, wild buffaloes became extinct in MP due to sundry reasons. There are evidences that wild buffaloes were found close to Kawarda, now in Chhattisgarh. A few other patches of Kanha also had them. Now efforts are being made to bring the wild buffaloes to Kanha,” a Park official said.
Field Director of Kanha Tiger Reserve SK Singh told Free Press that state government was working on the project and wild buffaloes would be brought from Assam.
Two places have been identified in Kanha where wild buffaloes will be kept. They are Sukha Suphkhar and Bhaisan ghat. They will be kept inside the enclosure for breeding purpose so that their population increases, he said.
About 50 wild buffaloes will be brought. In first phase, there is plan to bring 15 of them. Enclosures have been set up to accommodate and quarantine them.
This will be second project after cheetah relocation that wild animals, which once existed in Madhya Pradesh, will be brought back.
