Wild Buffaloes Return to Kanha After a Century

Reintroduction site: Kanha Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh.
Historical context: Wild buffaloes had disappeared from Madhya Pradesh forests for nearly 100 years.
Source population: Brought from Kaziranga National Park, Assam, covering around 2,200 km.
Acclimatisation: Initially kept in a one-hectare quarantine enclosure in the Supkhar range, then shifted to a 17-hectare enclosure before eventual release into the wild.
Future target: Madhya Pradesh aims to establish a population of 50 wild buffaloes over three years.
Site selection: Supkhar was chosen based on evidence of the historical presence of wild buffaloes in the region.

Common names: Wild buffalo, wild water buffalo.
Scientific name: Bubalus arnee.
Primary association: Grasslands of Northeast India, particularly Assam.
Historical distribution: South-eastern Madhya Pradesh, north-eastern Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, northern Telangana, northern Andhra Pradesh and parts of Jharkhand.
Habitat: Grasslands, swamps, marshes and river valleys. Historically found in the sal forests and grasslands of Central India, particularly present-day Chhattisgarh.
Conservation status:
IUCN Red List: Endangered.
Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.

Species recovery: Reintroduction helps restore a locally extinct species to its historical range.
Grassland ecology: Wild buffaloes are large herbivores that influence grassland structure, seed dispersal and predator-prey dynamics.
Genetic diversity: Sourcing from Kaziranga may improve genetic vigour, though long-term adaptation must be monitored.
Conservation translocation: The exercise is an example of conservation translocation, requiring habitat suitability, disease screening, quarantine and community engagement.
Legal and policy framework: Protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Conservation is also guided by the National Wildlife Action Plan and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Kanha Tiger Reserve: Located in Madhya Pradesh; famous for the hard-ground barasingha and tiger conservation.
Kaziranga National Park: Located in Assam; a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for the greater one-horned rhinoceros.
Wild buffalo vs domestic buffalo: Wild buffalo is Bubalus arnee, while domestic buffalo is generally Bubalus bubalis.
Prelims focus: Locations, scientific names, IUCN status, schedules under WPA, 1972, and reintroduction sites.
Mains focus: Conservation translocation, human-wildlife conflict, habitat management, and the role of protected areas in species recovery.