Kanha Tiger Reserve begins wild buffalo reintroduction

Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has initiated the second phase of a wild buffalo reintroduction program at the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Following a successful quarantine period, eight wild buffaloes—six females and two males—were moved from a one-hectare enclosure to a larger 17-hectare enclosure in the Sookkhar range.

The buffaloes were transported approximately 2,200 kilometers from Kaziranga National Park in Assam through a collaboration with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. This initiative aims to re-establish the species in the region after they became extinct in Madhya Pradesh's forests nearly a century ago.

The state government has set a target to establish 50 wild buffaloes within the next three years. Once the animals have fully acclimated to the local climate and environment in the larger enclosure, they will be released into their natural habitat to bolster regional biodiversity and the local ecosystem.