RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh Forest Department has apparently signalled a policy shift in its wildlife conservation strategy, moving away from a high dependency on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) following the near-collapse of the Central Indian wild buffalo population. The official documents addressed to PCCF (Wildlife) revealed a critical reassessment of past efforts in the Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), where the wild buffalo population plummeted from 80 individuals in 1996 to just seven by 2007.
Wild buffalo, the Chhattisgarh state animal, is listed under Schedule-1 of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act.
The department has pointedly attributed past failures to a strategy that involved NGOS without establishing proper accountability. A conservation and breeding centre established in 2006-07 with the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) reportedly failed to deliver desired results. Today, USTR is left with only one surviving pure-bred old male wild buffalo, "Chotu," aged 23, alongside 19 hybrid or cross-bred individuals.
The documents emphasised that moving forward, the role of NGOs must be "limited and clearly chalked out," with the state Forest Department taking full responsibility for the project's success or failure.
In a strategic pivot, the state now plans to rely on subject matter experts from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and other reputed organisations for long-term success. This shift is intended to bring scientific rigour to a conservation mission that has faced public resentment due to high expenditures—estimated at Rs 25 lakh annually in previous years—while basic local infrastructure needs remained neglected, officials said.
“Too much dependency on a single NGO without being accountable has resulted in only one male Wild Buffalo now surviving at Udanti Wild Life Sanctuary along with some unwanted hybrid buffaloes”, stated the documents accessed by TNIE, further adding that 'it should be kept in mind that the accountability of this conservation project rests with the Forest Department'.
Under the new plan, the focus will return to maintaining genetic purity, a move supported by the Supreme Court’s directives to avoid inter-breeding with domestic or hybrid buffaloes. The strategy includes: Three fit females from Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) have been identified for translocation to Udanti, these animals will undergo a 45-day quarantine in a 10-hectare enclosure before being radio-collared for real-time monitoring via GPS/VHF data to prevent human-wildlife conflict and inter-breeding. The department noted that a lone male tiger previously recorded in USTR has moved 200 km away, creating a favorable environment for the small herd to flourish.
By prioritising partnerships with specialised institutions like WII over unaccountable NGOs, the department aims to bridge the disconnect with local communities and finally achieve a sustainable population of the state animal.