Wild Water Buffalo

It has been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986, as the global population totals less than 4,000 mature individuals.

The wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), also called Asian buffalo, Asiatic buffalo and wild buffalo, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.

Adult females and their young form stable clans of as many as 30 individuals, which have home ranges of 170 to 1,000 ha (420 to 2,470 acres) that include areas for resting, grazing, wallowing and drinking.

The wild water buffalo is both diurnal and nocturnal.

In 2023, four wild buffalos were translocated to Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve to reverse its declining population in the state.

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

A population reduction by at least 50% over the last three generations seems likely given the severity of the threats, especially hybridization; this population trend is projected to continue into the future.

The maximum known lifespan is 25 years in the wild.

It inhabits wet grasslands, swamps, flood plains and densely vegetated river valleys.

The wild water buffalo occurs in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, and Cambodia, with an unconfirmed population in Myanmar.

Bubalus arnee was proposed by Charles Hamilton Smith in 1827 who introduced the generic name Bubalus for bovids with large heads, convex-shaped narrow foreheads, laterally bent flat horns, funnel-shaped ears, small dewlaps and slender tails.