Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Chief minister Mohan Yadav released four wild buffaloes, brought from Assam’s Kaziranga National Park, into the soft release enclosure of Kanha Tiger Reserve’s Supkar range in Balaghat district on Tuesday.
They including three female and one male. They were recently translocated to Kanha Tiger Reserve from Assam.
Talking to media persons, Yadav said that it was a historical day as it was after 100 years that rehabilitation of wild buffaloes was taking place in the state. He added that rehabilitation of wild buffaloes would help in conservation of grassland and ecosystem. Under the guidance of PM Modi, extinct wildlife is returning to Madhya Pradesh.
This will help the state forest in becoming prosperous in terms of wildlife and will provide employment at local level through the medium of tourism. More importantly, the translocation of wild buffaloes has established a new relationship with Assam. When he had gone on an Assam visit, he had discussed it with Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about translocation of wild buffaloes.
All four wild buffaloes are young and healthy. The four wild buffaloes covered the distance of 2,000 kilometres to reach Kanha Tiger Reserve from Assam’s Kaziranga National Park.
Their journey had commenced on April 25. The population of wild buffaloes had become extinct 100 years ago in the state. The population of wild buffaloes is limited to Assam and they are found in very low numbers in Chhattisgarh.
In the study done by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India, Kanha Tiger Reserve was found suitable for rehabilitation and translocation of wild buffaloes.
