Overview
- Four wild water buffaloes, released Tuesday by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav at Kanha’s Supkhar range, are in soft-release enclosures for quarantine and close health monitoring.
- The group—one male and three females—traveled more than 2,000 kilometers from Assam’s Kaziranga over three days with continuous veterinary care and support vehicles carrying feed and water.
- Teams in Kaziranga used veterinary-guided tranquilisation in March and April, and the Wildlife Institute of India’s study identified Kanha’s grasslands and low disturbance as suitable habitat.
- Forest officials say more batches are planned soon as part of a multi-phase plan to establish a stable breeding population at Kanha, with a target of about 50 animals over the next year.
- Leaders in Madhya Pradesh and Assam cast the move as broader conservation cooperation that includes proposed rhino transfers to Bhopal and potential gharial support for Assam, with the species’ return expected to aid grassland health and local tourism.