Scarce wild buffalo gets sanction for cloning - Times of India

RAIPUR: The state forest department has initiated the cloning process of its endangered state animal, the wild buffalo, with a payment of first installment of Rs 58 lakh to National Dairy Research Institute, (NDRI) Karnal, Haryana. Officials at the forest reserve claim that this is the country's first cloning on a wild animal. "With just six ban bhaisa (wild buffaloes) and four calves left in Chhattisgarh's Udanti forest, it was a matter of deep concern. There is only one female buffalo left which won't be able to conceive more than twice. Moreover, the female has given birth to four males in the last four years," Rakesh Chaturvedi, field director, Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve told TOI. "It is around 10-years-old now and a normal lifespan of buffaloes is 15 years. The four male calves were the result of in-situ breeding programme being conducted since five years where the female mates with few males, kept in an enclosure resembling a fore st. Therefore, we signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with NDRI few months ago for cloning of wild buffaloes," he added. Chhattisgarh has a superior quality of wild buffaloes which are found only in Kaziranga national park (Assma), Indravati Tiger Reserve, south Bastar and Udanti Sitanadi. While the forest department has not taken a census of the state animal at Indravati reserve due to Left Wing Extremism in the region since last 10 years, officials claim to have spotted a herd of 15-20 buffalos there three months ago. Chaturvedi said that in a collective meet with scientists of Wild Life Institute, Dehradun, geographical survey of India, Wild Life Trust of India and State Wild Li fe Board, three alternatives were suggested on the table. "First was bringing the female buffaloes from Kaziranga to Udanti. But it wasn't practically possible as wild buffaloes are shy and sensitive animals and bringing them across a distance of 2,000km meant that the animal would kill itself banging her head on the four-walled transport vehicle. Second option was Cryopreservation which is a process where sperms would be preserved at sub-zero level of -300 degrees Celsius to keep them alive for 100 years. It didn't work because we would have lost the quality of breed in future. So we settled for the cloning process which will cost Rs 87 lakh," he said. Human-animal conflict main reason for dwindling numbers Denying that poaching was the reason for its extinction, Chaturvedi said that no part of this animal is either edible or useful. Large populations of wild buffaloes get killed in a human-animal conflict in the village areas sett led around forests. "Many got killed as a punishment for damaging villagers' crops and fields while infighting is another major reason wherein two buffaloes get into horn fighting and continue the fight until the other dies," he said. Scientists had collected the genetic samples of the lone female buffalo's ear which will be cultured and developed in a lab. The department is very optimistic about its success. Wild buffalo looks similar to a bison in appearance but is a different species and a predecessor of domestic buffaloes. It is very active in nature and considered more resistant to natural adversities. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGHAe7mAkMYtOadRcF-kCwusMlr3Q&url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/Scarce-wild-buffalo-gets-sanction-for-cloning/articleshow/20708743.cms

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