Dibru Saikhowa WLS, December 21, 2010: A male wild buffalo, hand-raised at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) near Kaziranga National Park, has been relocated to Dibru Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary for rehabilitation, by the Assam Forest Department and International Fund for Animal Welfare - Wildlife Trust of India (IFAW- WTI) supported by GAIL (India) Limited.

The animal was brought as a month-old calf to the IFAW-WTI run CWRC in 2006 after it got separated from its mother during an incident of conflict with people near Kaziranga NP. Earlier this week, it was moved from CWRC to a boma (enclosure) in Dibru Saikhowa WLS for acclimatisation as part of its soft release. 

“Soft-releasing a hand-raised animal entails letting it acclimatise to the new surroundings in the wild, within the safety of a spacious enclosure in the release site. The buffalo will remain in the boma for at least a year; this will give it ample opportunity to create site fidelity before its final release into the wild,” said Dr NVK Ashraf, Chief Operating Officer, WTI.

The buffalo was tranquilised to minimise stress during the 10 hour-long journey from Kaziranga to Dibru Saikhowa. It was accompanied by IFAW-WTI veterinarians, who periodically checked on its condition to ensure its safety. “We covered over 500 km in truck, boat and tractor to reach the boma from CWRC, and the buffalo was successfully released,” said Dr Abhijit Bhawal, a team member. “We will be observing the animal to see how it fares. For now, it will not be provided supplementary food as it has sufficient fodder in the 24000 sq m boma and the aim is to let the animal get used to its natural environment.”

The final leg of the journey to the boma is completed moving the animal on a boat

Categorised as ‘endangered’ by the IUCN and listed under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee) faces threats including habitat loss, disease transmission from cattle as well as conflicts among others. There are about 4000 individuals estimated in the wild across its distribution range. Dibru Saikhowa WLS is home to about 300.   
 
“Research has shown that adding a single new male individual to a new population would enhance genetic diversity,” said Dr Vaibhab Mathur, Divisional Forest Officer, Tinsukia. “Initiatives like this like rehabilitation will help the flow of genes between populations that were once contiguous.”

Two hand-raised wild buffalos have already been relocated from CWRC to Dibru Saikhowa. The buffaloes were released in the wild from the boma in November 2009.