The wild Asian buffalo weighs 800 - 1200 kg (1800 - 2600
lb). It is a massive, powerful animal, with the widest horn span of anybovid - more than 6.5' (2 m). The wild Asian
buffalo is very dependent on the availability of water. Historically, its
preferred habitats were low-lyingalluvial grasslands and their surroundings. Riparian forests and
woodlands were also utilized. The wild Asian buffalo eats grass and leafy
aquatic vegetation. It is mainly a grazer, feeding in the morning and evenings
and lying up in dense cover or submerging in wallows during midday. During the middayheat, the wild Asian buffalo frequently wallows in water or muddy pools,
sometimes almost completely submerged, with only its nostrils showing. In
addition to keeping it cool, wallowing helps to remove skin parasites, biting
flies, and other pests. Where there is substantial human disturbance, the wild
Asian buffalo is mainly nocturnal.
A herd of female wild Asian buffaloes with young is led by a
dominant matriarch and often accompanied by a single adult bull. Other males
live solitarily or form bachelor herds of about 10. Young males spar with each
other to assert dominance but avoid serious fighting. They mix with females at
mating time.
The wild Asian buffalo originally ranged from eastern Nepaland India, east
to Vietnam, and
south to Malaysia.
By 1963, it had been substantially reduced numerically and eliminated from the
greater part of its former range. Currently, the total world population of wild
Asian buffalo is almost certainly less than 4,000 animals and may well be less
than 200 animals. It is even possible that no purebred wild Asian buffalo
remain. Population estimates are hampered by the difficulty in distinguishing
wild buffalo from domestic, feral and hybrid buffalo.In India,
wild buffalo are now largely restricted to Assamand Madhya Pradesh, although most, if not all, are believed to have interbred
with domestic and/or feral buffalo. An unknown number of buffalo, believed to
include truly wild individuals, occurs in Bhutan’sRoyalManasNational Park. Kosi Tappu Wildlife
Reserve contains the only sub-population in Nepal.
In Thailand, 40
– 50 wild buffalo are reported to occur in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife
Sanctuary; this is the only sub-population remaining in Thailand.
The most important threats to wild Asian buffalo are:
interbreeding with feral and domestic buffalo, habitat loss/degradation, and
hunting. Diseases and parasites (transmitted by domestic livestock) and
competition for food and water between wild buffalo and domestic stock are also
serious threats.
Tidbits
*** The wild Asian buffalo is the ancestor of the domestic
water buffalo. The wild Asian buffalo has been domesticated for thousands of
years and bred around the world into various, mostly smaller, breeds of less
than 500 kg (1100 lb). The domesticated water buffalo is now found in most
tropical and subtropical regions.
*** Archeological evidence shows that domestic buffalo were
being used in Zhejiang Province of China, just south of the mouth of the
Yangtze River, 6000 - 7000 years ago (although some think that these may have
belonged to a separate species, Bubalus mephistopheles, which has been reported
as a wild animal from Pleistocene and early historical sites in Henan Province,
China). (Nowak 1999)
*** Thailand's
wild Asian buffalo is the largest water buffalo in the world.
Countries Where the
Wild Asian Buffalo Is Currently Found:
2004: Occurs in Bhutan,India, Nepaland Thailand.
(IUCN 2004)
Population Estimates:
[Note: Figures
given are for wild populations only.]
* WORLD
o 1966: Less
than 2000 (IUCN 1967).
o 1980's:
1000 - 1500 (WCMC 2003)
o 1990: Less
than 2000 (Humphrey & Bain 1990)
o 1998: Very
unlikely to be more than 4000, is probably fewer than 1000, and is quite
possibly fewer than 200 (Hedges 1998)
o 2004: Less
than 4000; may be less than 200; indeed it is possible that no purebred wild
Asian buffalo remain (IUCN 2004)
o
* India
o 1966:
Under 2000 (Peninsular India:
400 - 500; Assam:
1425) (IUCN 1967)
o 1989: 1000
(Madhya Pradesh and Assam)
(Oryx 1989c)
o 1994: The
bulk if India's
population totals perhaps 3300 - 3500 (90% in Assam)
(Choudhury 1994)
* Nepal
o 1966: 100
(IUCN 1967)
o 1976: 40
(Oryx 1976b)
History of
Distribution:
The wild Asian buffalo originally ranged from eastern Nepaland India, east
to Vietnam, and
south to Malaysia.
By 1963, it had been substantially reduced numerically and eliminated from the
greater part of its former range. At that time it was thought to be restricted
to three zones: the BrahmaputraValleyin Assam, India,
the lower reaches of the GodavariRiverat the confluence of the borders of the states of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
Andhra Pradesh in India,
and the Saptkosi River, Nepal, close to the border with India.
As of 1990, remnant populations were thought to occur in Assamand Orissa in India,
in Nepal, and
in two sanctuaries in Thailand.
Currently, the total world population of wild Asian buffalo
is almost certainly less than 4,000 animals and may well be less than 200
animals. Indeed it is possible that no purebred wild Asian buffalo remain.
However these figures are little more than informed guesses, since any
assessment of wild buffalo numbers is hampered by the difficulty of
distinguishing between free-ranging domestic buffalo, feral buffalo, and truly
wild buffalo, as well as hybrids between wild and other buffalo. In India,
wild buffalo are now largely restricted to Assamand Madhya Pradesh, but most, if not all, surviving populations are believed to
have interbred with domestic and/or feral buffalo. An unknown number of
buffalo, believed to include truly wild individuals, occurs in Bhutan’sRoyalManasNational Park; this is the only
sub-population in Bhutan.
Kosi Tappu Wildlife Reserve contains the only sub-population in Nepal.
In Thailand, 40
– 50 wild buffalo are reported to occur in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife
Sanctuary; this is the only sub-population remaining in Thailand.
(IUCN 2004)
Threats and Reasons for Decline:
The most important threats to wild Asian buffalo are
interbreeding with feral and domestic buffalo, habitat loss/degradation, and
hunting. Diseases and parasites (transmitted by domestic livestock) and
competition for food and water between wild buffalo and domestic stock are also
serious threats. (IUCN 2004)
Data on Biology and Ecology
Size and Weight:
The wild Asian
buffalo has a length of 2.4 - 3 m (7.8 - 9.8') and weighs 800 - 1200 kg (1800 -
2600 lb).
Habitat:
The wild Asian
buffalo is very dependent on the availability of water. Historically, its
preferred habitats were low-lying alluvial grasslands and their surroundings.
Riparian forests and woodlands were also utilized. (IUCN 2004)
Age to Maturity:
Puberty is reached
at about 18 months.
Gestation Period:
300 - 340 days.
Birth Rate:
Usually 1 calf per
birth. The birth interval is usually about 2 years.
Early Development:
Weaning occurs
after 6 - 9 months.
Maximum Age:
At least 25 years
in the wild, 29 years in captivity.
Diet:
The wild Asian
buffalo eats grass and leafy aquatic vegetation.
Behavior:
The wild Asian
buffalo is chiefly a grazer, feeding in the morning and evenings and lying up
in dense cover or submerging in wallows during midday.
During the midday heat, the wild
Asian buffalo frequently wallows in water or muddy pools, sometimes almost
completely submerged, with only its nostrils showing. In addition to keeping it
cool, wallowing helps to remove skin parasites, biting flies, and other pests.
Where there is
substantial human disturbance the wild Asian buffalo is mainly nocturnal.
Social Organization:
A herd of female
wild Asian buffaloes with young is led by a dominant matriarch and often
accompanied by a single adult bull. Other males live solitarily or form
bachelor herds of about 10. Young males spar with each other to assert
dominance but avoid serious fighting. They mix with females at mating time.
(Burnie & Wilson 2001, WCMC 2003)
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