Bijapur: The forests of Sindhudurg and Madhya near the Maharashtra border and in the Indravati Tiger Project site in Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh have witnessed as many as seventeen free-roaming wild buffaloes. This is an unprecedented proof as milestone as such a large number of buffaloes has not been seen before, which raises controversy about the purity of their breed.
Although Chhattisgarh provides space shelter for the wild buffalo alone in the Indravati Tiger Reserve, and that reserve is a common border to Maharashtra and Telangana, now the Forest Department and the CNB will jointly do DNA testing to know the purity of the breed. These genetic data will then be analysed at the specific DNA sequence at the CCMB GeneBank, located in Hyderabad and will be added to the genetic makeup of these wild buffaloes.
Dr Sambhashi Rao, a specialist from the CCMB Lab, recently proposed a plan in a meeting with forest officials from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Maharashtra at the Indravati Tiger Reserve to prepare a joint action plan. It is worth mentioning that there are a total of 37 wild buffaloes in the state, out of which 17 are found in the Indravati Tiger Project. It is estimated that most of them are of purebred.
This is an example of how various genetic diseases can be managed in the specific case of the wild buffalo, a vital species for the ecosystem’s health. The cooperation between different governments involved state forest departments and scientific institutions demonstrated the real commitment of public authorities to maintain the conservation of genetic diversity and biodiversity in the mentioned area.
By employing highly sophisticated DNA testing technologies, authorities can obtain crucial information that will contribute to the design of the most appropriate wildlife conservation strategies and to the effective management of the natural habitats of wildlife.
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