Bubalus arnee

The wild water buffalo or wild buffalo (Bubalus arnee) is a large bovine native to the Southeast Asian. The species has been considered endangered according to the IUCN Red List since 1986 as there are fewer than 4,000, with fewer than 2,500 mature individuals.

Its estimated population is 3,400 individuals, of which 3,100 (91%) live in India, mainly in Assam.

The wild water buffalo is the ancestor of the domestic buffalo, and the second largest wild bovid, only after the gaur.

Features

The wild water buffalo is larger and heavier than the domestic one. Its weight can reach 1200 kg with a length of 240 to 300 cm and a tail of 60 to 100 cm and a height at the shoulder of 150 to 190 cm. Both sexes have horns that are heavy at the base and extend up to 2 m between the tips, exceeding the size of any other living bovid. The coat goes from ash gray to black. The hair is moderately long, with a tuft on the forehead. The ears are relatively small. The tip of the tail is hairy. The hooves are large and open.

Distribution and habitat

Wild water buffalo are found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand and Cambodia with an undetermined population in Burma. They have been exterminated from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. They can be found in humid grasslands, swamps and riverbanks with lush vegetation.

In India, the vast majority are located in the national parks of Kaziranga, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa, Laokhowa and Burhachapori and some isolated populations in Assam; at the D'Ering Memorial Shrine in Arunachal Pradesh; a small population in the Buxa Tiger Reserve in northwestern West Bengal; Balphakram National Park in Meghalaya and in Madhya Pradesh in Indravati National Park and the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary. This population could extend to nearby Orissa. In the early 1990s, there were about 3,300–3,500 in Assam and the adjacent states of northeastern India. In 1997, the number dropped to 1,500 mature individuals.
Some surviving populations are believed to have mixed with domestic buffaloes. Thus, in the late 1980s there were fewer than 100 wild water buffaloes in Madhya Pradesh, but by 1992, only 50 survived.

In Nepal they only live in the Koshi Tappu Reserve, and there were 219 individuals in 2009. This small population is currently very threatened.

In the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan there are still a small number of wild water buffaloes, forming part of the wild water buffalo subpopulation Manas National Park of India.

In Myanmar, a few live in the Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve.

In Thailand, herds of less than 40 individuals have been described, as occurs in the lower parts of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary; The populations there have not decreased, but they are at serious risk of hybridization.

The population of Cambodia is confined to a small eastern area of Mondol Kirí Province and possibly Ratanak Kirí Province. Only a few dozen individuals survive.

Ecology and behavior

Wild water buffaloes are both diurnal and nocturnal. Adult females and their offspring form stable clans of up to 30 individuals with activity areas of between 170 and 1000 hectares, including resting, grazing, recreation and drinking areas. The clans are led by old buffaloes, although there are males that accompany the group. Several clans form a herd of between 30 and 500 animals that group together in resting areas. Adult males form bachelor groups of up to 10 individuals, with older males often solitary, and spend the dry season apart from the female clans. They have seasonal heat in most of their habitat, usually in October and November; however, some populations breed year-round. Dominant males copulate with the females of a clan who then expel them. Their gestation period lasts 10 to 11 months, with a birth interval of one year. They usually give birth to a single calf, although twins are possible. Sexual maturity reaches 18 months in males and three years in females. The maximum longevity in the wild is 25 years. In the wild in Assam, herd size varied from 3 to 30 individuals.

They are probably preferential foragers, feeding mainly on grasses when available, such as Cynodon dactylon and Cyperus, but they also eat herbs, fruits and bark, as well as browse on trees and shrubs. They also feed on crops, including rice, sugar cane and jute, sometimes causing considerable damage.

Threats

A population reduction of at least 50% in the last three generations gives us an idea of the seriousness of the threats, especially hybridization; This trend is expected to continue in the future. The most important threats are:

• Mix With domestic buffaloes around protected areas;
• hunting, especially in Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar;
• loss of marshes for hydroponic use;
• Degradation of marshes Due to invasive species such as lianas and nenúfares;
• diseases and parasites transmitted by domestic livestock;
• Interspecific competition for food and water between wild buffaloes and domestic livestock.

Tigers hunt adult wild water buffalo, and the Asian black bear is known to hunt them as well. Domestic water buffalo can be taken by the marine crocodile (Crocodylus porosus), but this is very rarely found with savages.

Conservation

Bubalus arnee is listed in CITES-Appendix III, and is legally protected in Bhutan, India, Nepal and Thailand.

Taxonomy

Carl Linnaeus applied the binomial name Bos bubalis to the domestic water buffalo in his first description of 1758. In 1792, Robert Kerr applied the name Bos arnee to the species wild of India north of Bengal. Subsequent authors subordinated the species to the genera Bos, Bubalus or Buffelus.

In 2003, the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature established this name as valid when dealing with the previous B. bubalisa name for a domestic animal. Thus, most authors have adopted Bubalus arnee for the wild species.

The subspecies Bubalus bubalis bubalis and Bubalus bubalis carabanensis are both derived from the wild water buffalo, and are the product of thousands of years of selective breeding carried out in South Asia or Southeast Asia.

Current profit

Scientists have begun to recommend the use of feral water buffalo to control uncontrolled plant growth in areas near wetlands. The introduction of these animals provides a cheap service by grazing invasive vegetation and opens waterways for ducks, wetland birds and other wildlife.