A Renewed Bastar Raises Hope For Saving India’s Wild Buffalo Species

Raipur: End of Leftwing extremism in Bastar in Chhattisgarh is billed to save the endangered wild buffalo species of Central India, known for its genetic purity, from extinction.

Indravati National Park in Bijapur district under south Bastar houses around 15-20 wild buffaloes of Central Indian species. They are spotted frequently moving in the core area of the national park.

“No enumeration of the wild buffalo population in Indravati National Park, known as Naxal stronghold, could be done so far because of the Maoist menace. They are seen thriving in nature because of a good habitat in the reserve forest”, a senior forest officer told this newspaper on Friday.

The end of Maoism menace will no doubt give a huge boost to the conservation of wild buffaloes in the national park, helping save the highly endangered species of Central India, the forest officer said.

When contacted, divisional forest officer (DFO) of Indravati National Park, Sandeep Balga, said, “Efforts are on for the conservation of the wild animals including the wild buffaloes in Indravati National Park”.

Udanti-Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary in east Chhattisgarh currently houses the ‘last surviving’ wild buffalo of Central Indian species (barring the wild buffalo population of Indravati National Park).

The male wild buffalo, named Chottu, is kept in an enclosure in the wild buffalo breeding Centre, established in the wildlife sanctuary, in 2006.

“We are planning to shift two female wild buffaloes from Barnawapara wildlife sanctuary in January, 2026 to the acclimatizing enclosure in the Udanti-Sitanadi breeding Centre for mating with 22-year-old Chottu”, deputy director of Udanti-Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary Varun Jain told this newspaper.

Six wild buffaloes, one male and five females, were translocated to Barnawapara from the Manas National Park of Assam a few years ago for reintroduction of the wild buffalo in Chhattisgarh.

The wild buffalo population in Barnawapara has now grown to ten with the birth of four cubs to two buffalo couples.

Central Indian wild buffaloes are considered ‘prized’ for their genetic purity (less inbreeding with domestic buffaloes), while North Eastern populations, especially in Assam (Kaziranga, Manas), have faced genetic dilution due to domestic buffaloes inbreeding with wild ones, leading to ‘genetic swamping’, though they share a common ancestry with Central Indian buffaloes, experts say.

Hence, the conservationists are eagerly waiting for the end of Maoism in Bastar which will give a big boost to the conservation of wild buffaloes of Indravati National Park, a Central Indian species, and help save the species from extinction, sources said.

Wild buffalo, declared as a highly endangered species, has been categorized in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Chhattisgarh has declared wild buffalo as the “State Animal” to save the species from extinction by undertaking its conservation.

The Centre has set a target to root out Maoism by March 2026.