About Asiatic Wild Buffalo:
- It is the largest wild bovine in the world.
- Other Names: Asiatic buffalo, Wild water buffalo, Asian buffalo, Wild Asian buffalo
- Habitat: It includes swamps, flooded grasslands, other wetlands, alluvial plains, and densely vegetated river valleys.
- Distribution: It is found in Southern Nepal, eastern and central India, southern Bhutan and western Thailand.
- India is home to more than 90% of the global wild water buffalo population, with most found in Assam and smaller populations in Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra’s Kolamarka forests.
- These are diurnal and nocturnal animals.
- Diet: These are herbivorous (folivorous, graminivorous) animals and regular diet includes aquatic plants, crops, grasses, herbs, leaves, and bark of trees.
- Threats: Parasites and diseases, hunting, loss of habitat, interbreeding of wild buffaloes with domestic.
- Conservation Status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
