📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Tisha Mukherjee
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Chhattisgarh Launches Campaign to Rescue Last Wild Buffalo Herd
✍️ The Indian Express
🗓 02 Aug 2026, 07:04 PM
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Chhattisgarh authorities have begun a concerted effort to protect the state's remaining wild water buffaloes, citing declining numbers and habitat loss.
Chhattisgarh’s wildlife department has announced a comprehensive plan to safeguard the state’s last surviving wild water buffaloes, a species that has seen its population shrink to a few dozen individuals. The initiative comes after recent surveys confirmed that habitat fragmentation and poaching have severely threatened the herd’s survival.
The strategy involves relocating vulnerable animals to a protected reserve, establishing a breeding program, and enhancing anti-poaching patrols. Officials say the relocation will provide a safer environment and better breeding opportunities for the buffaloes.
Wildlife experts from the Central Zoo Authority and several non‑governmental organizations will collaborate on the project, offering technical support and monitoring. The partnership aims to create a sustainable population that can eventually be reintroduced into the wild.
State officials expect the first phase of relocation to begin within the next three months, with a goal of stabilizing the population by 2025. The campaign underscores Chhattisgarh’s commitment to preserving its natural heritage.
The strategy involves relocating vulnerable animals to a protected reserve, establishing a breeding program, and enhancing anti-poaching patrols. Officials say the relocation will provide a safer environment and better breeding opportunities for the buffaloes.
Wildlife experts from the Central Zoo Authority and several non‑governmental organizations will collaborate on the project, offering technical support and monitoring. The partnership aims to create a sustainable population that can eventually be reintroduced into the wild.
State officials expect the first phase of relocation to begin within the next three months, with a goal of stabilizing the population by 2025. The campaign underscores Chhattisgarh’s commitment to preserving its natural heritage.