Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Seeing no progress in the efforts to bring wild buffaloes from Chhattisgarh's Indravati Tiger Reserve, mainly due to the Naxal problem and other pressing issues, the authorities of Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) are now exploring the option of acquiring them from Assam.
If Assam agrees, then Kanha plans to bring as many as 30 Wild Buffaloes from the state. As of now, no national park or reserve in Madhya Pradesh has wild buffaloes. If the project gets the green signal then Kanha Tiger Reserve will be the first reserve in the State to have the wild buffaloes. KTR officials are looking forward to getting wild buffaloes from Manas Park and Kaziranga National Park of Assam as they have a sizable number of wild buffaloes.
A senior officer of the reserve told Free Press that the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) had carried out a feasibility study in the reserve and found it suitable for rehabilitation of wild buffaloes. The parts of Balaghat and Mandla were found suitable for wild buffaloes. The study even suggested that wild buffaloes might have once lived in the regions of Kanha.
The study report had been submitted to Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Wild Life Aseem Shrivastava.
Sources said that to get wild buffaloes, earlier Kanha Tiger Reserve officials had given a proposal to Chhattisgarh’s Indravati Tiger Reserve but there was problem in bringing them due to Naxalite insurgency. Besides, the population of wild buffaloes was also limited there. And most importantly, there was also no response from the Chhatisgarh reserve officials. Thus Kanha officials explored other options and are now pinning hopes on Assam.
Suitability study carried out
The suitability study in relation to wildlife was carried out by WII and it had even submitted the report. Now all the hopes are resting on Assam to get the wild buffalo.
SK Singh, field director, Kanha Tiger Reserve
