Rooted in the Hills: Toda Buffaloes are perfect for Nilgiris. They thrived on rough pastures, enduring the heavy ground frost of the southwest and northwest monsoons. The sheep breeding research station in Sandynalah bought 30 buffaloes from Todas to breed. |Picture source: M. Sathyamoorthy
Over the past three decades, the Toda Buffalo population is an indigenous buffalo species associated with Toda tribe cultivation, which has dropped by more than 90%. In a new program, the sheep breeding research station in Sandynalah, Nilgiris, has begun a captive breeding program to help the population rebuild themselves on the hills, even while trying to understand their genetic makeup.
According to officials, the population of buffaloes in Nielgiris ranged from 15,000 to 20,000 decades ago. However, N. Prema, head of the Ooty station at the Sandynalah Sheep Breeding Research Station, noted that all Toda Hamlets buffalo lists the 2023 list, showing less than 1,000 animals left. “Of course of 1,000, there are a lot of people who cross with other cattle,” she said.
Gradually disappearing
Todas’ culture and traditions are closely linked to the buffalo for thousands of years. However, the combination of multiple factors – the destruction of the Nielgiris grassland, which is a traditional pasture for buffaloes, the high rate of calves mortality, increased predation examples of wildlife, and the gradual changes in the livelihoods and culture of Todds themselves led to prescape, s. prescape s. prescape s. prescape s.
Anthropologist Paul Hockings writes about buffaloes in the encyclopedia of Nilgiri Hills, “One-fifth of domestic cattle in the region are buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis): the 1982 livestock census recorded 57,199 bull heads, but only 13,655 Buffaloes.”
He added: “Today, … many of the Nielgiris buffaloes are desi, i.e. non-descriptive, non-breeding improved animals, which are cared for by villagers across India.”
Finely adapted to the Nielgiri Mountains, thriving on its rough pastures, no shelter, the cold and hail of the southwest monsoon and the heavy ground frost of the northwest monsoon are physically the most impressive animals. and with great ferocity (unlike the characteristic slow and docile plain buffalo),” he said.
“When the population has fallen a lot in just a few decades, it is very likely that the rest of the population can be lost without an immediate protection plan,” Ms Prema said. As a first step, the Sheep Breeding Research Station purchased 30 buffaloes from Todas and tried to breed more buffaloes. “While Toda buffalo is half a fetus, producing only 3.5 liters to 4 liters of milk per day on average, they are very high in milk. The breed itself is highly resistant to diseases such as mastitis. In fact, there is no record of Toda Buffalo that has ever had mastitis.”
Funded by Rashtriya Gokul Mission
She said that as tribal communities participate in the breeding of Toda Buffalo, an initiative funded by the Tamil Nadu Livestock Development Authority Rashtriya Gokul mission is working to increase the population of Toda Buffalo. Research is underway to understand the resilience of this breed to mastitis. The milk of buffalo is being studied to find out its nutritional value.
Another count for next year’s plan
As another step towards raising awareness of the importance of preserving buffaloes, the Sheep Breeding Research Station and the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Science University (Tanuvas) have been conducting awareness campaigns in the community and rewarding the best buffalo breeders. Ms Prema said: “We also held an exhibition at Udhagamandalam in February this year. It showed off value-added products made from Buffalo milk, including Panneer, Butter, Butter, Guhee and Flavored Buttermilk.”
Officials said they plan to make another list of buffaloes in 2026.
publishing – April 15, 2025 at 10:36 pm IST
