Rooted in the hills: Buffalus are well adapted to the Nilgiris. They thrive in thick pastures and the cold rain and the hail of the southwest monzón and the heavy frosts of the northwest monzón world. The sheep breeding station in Sandynallah has bought 30 buffalo from all for reproduction. | Photo credit: M. sathyamory
Around the last three decades, the population of Buffalo Today, an indigenous species of water buffalo linked to today’s tribal cultivation, has decreased by more than 90%. In a new initiative, the sheep breeding station in Sandynallah in Nilgiris has begun to begin the reproduction program to help the population restart itolf in the hills, even when trying to understand its genetic composition.
According to the officials, the buffalo population ranged between 15,000 and 20,000 in the Nilgiris only a few decades. But N. Prema, head of the Ooty station at the sheep career station in Sandynallah, points out that a 2023 enumeration of buffalo in all villages in all revealed that less than 1,000 animals were left. “Of the 1,000, there was a considerable number crossed with another cattle,” she says.
Gradual disappearance
The culture and tradition of all have been inextrically related to their buffalo for millennia. However, a combination of factors: the destruction of the Nilgiris Grasland that had served as traditional pastures of buffalo, high mortality rates of calves, greater cases of predation for wildlife and the gradual seel in the life of the livelihoods or culture of the culture of the culture of culture or culture or culture or the disappearance of the cults of the cults of the cults of Land, premature, prematine, they say.
When writing about the buffalo in the encyclopedia of the Nilgiri hills, the anthropologist Paul Hockings says: “No more than a fifth of the domestic cattle of the district are buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): the 1982 cattle census recorded 57,199 head of cattle, but only 13,65 buffalos.”
“Today, … Many of Nilgiris are desi, that is, animals without race and without race that are treated by villagers throughout India,” he adds, insinuating that the dilution of the genetic composition of today’s buffalos.
“Finely adapted to the Mountains of Nilgiri, thriving with its rude pastures and tolerate, without refuge, the cold rain and the hail of the southwest monzón and the strong frost of earth of the northwest monzón, the buffalo all buffalo is the most impressive animal.
“When the population has dropped so much in a few decades, there is now the probability that the removable population can also be lost without immediate conservation plans,” says Mrs. Prema. As the first step, the sheep breeding station has bought 30 buffalo from all, and is trying to raise more buffalo. “While buffalo are semi-nested and produce only an average of 3.5 liters to 4 liters of milk per day, their milk has a high fat content. The race is highly resistant to conditions such as mastitis. In fact, there is free and failed lighthouse. Mastitis,” says Mrs. Prema.
Financed by the rashtriya gokul mission
She says that with the participation of the tribal community in the reproduction of Buffalo, an initiative founded by the Rashtriya Gokul mission of the Tamil Nadu cattle development agency, efforts are being made to increase the population of the buffalo all. Studies are being carried out to understand the resistance of the breed to mastitis. Buffalo’s milk is being studied to discover its nutritional value.
Another planned count next year
As another step towards increasing awareness between all the importance of conserving buffalo, the sheep breeding station and the Tamil Neterinary and Animal Sciences (Tanuvas) University have carried out communities among the communities. “We also had an exhibition in February of this year in Udhagamandalam. He showed added value products made of buffalo milk, including pantry, butter, ghee and whey with flavor,” says Mrs. Prema.
The authorities say they have planned another enumeration of the buffalo in 2026.
Published – April 15, 2025 10:36 PM IST
