JOIN USNaxalite-infested Gadchiroli now has a wild buffalo sanctuary
Encouraged by the number of wild buffaloes going up from a small herd to 22, the Maharashtra government has upgraded a conservation reserve in Kolamarka—in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra's Vidarbha—to a sanctuary.
The region was earlier a Conservation Reserve (CR) and has now been upgraded to a Wildlife Sanctuary (WS).
The new sanctuary will be known as Kolamarka Wildlife Sanctuary.
The decision was taken at the 18th meeting of the State Board for Wildlife presided over by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
“The wild buffaloes are endangered. The Kolamarka Wildlife Sanctuary will play a major role in the conservation of these species in the central Indian landscape,” said Kishor Rithe, founder of the Satpuda Foundation, who has been working for conservation of wild buffaloes for 25 years.
The Kolamarka area falls in the Sironcha division, which faces the threat from Naxalites - and faces issues of accessibility and lack of staff.
Thackeray, a wildlife and aerial photographer, who also holds the Forest portfolio, and state Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister Aaditya Thackeray, was keenly interested in its declaration as a sanctuary.
“The total world population of wild buffalo is less than 4,000. For us, 22 is a big number and a lot of efforts are needed to take it forward,” said Rithe, a member of State Board for Wildlife.
“I have been personally pursuing initiatives for conservation of wild buffaloes with successive governments and officials,” Rithe told DH on Tuesday.
Rithe had seen a small herd - a couple of males, females and calves way back in 2002-04 in Kolamarka. The number grew to over 20.
“They were perhaps coming from neighbouring Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh. “During the ‘mahua' season they used to come and later go away. What we did focus on was on water conservation initiatives in the area and these attracted the wild buffaloes. Today, we have a resident population of 22 wild buffaloes,” Rithe said.