CM Mohan seeks to boost Madhya Pradesh wildlife diversity:Proposes exchanging tigers and leopards with Assam for wild buffaloes and rhinos to strengthen ecosystems

The Madhya Pradesh government has taken a big step to protect wildlife and nature. MP has asked the Assam government to provide wild buffaloes and one-horned rhinos. In return, MP is ready to give tigers, leopards, or other animals. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has written a letter to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about this. The National Tiger Conservation Authority had approved in principle in November 2024 to bring wild buffaloes back to Kanha Tiger Reserve. Under this plan, 50 wild buffaloes can be moved from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra to MP. The MP Forest Department plans to bring 20 wild buffaloes from Assam, and 15 each from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, to create a better gene pool when the rhino population increases in the future. A pair of rhinos will be kept in Van Vihar National Park. 3323 One-Horned Rhinos Nationwide, 3 Thousand in Assam Currently, the total population of one-horned rhinoceroses in India is 3,323. Out of these, 3,000 rhinos are only in Assam. 80 percent of the rhino population is only in Kaziranga National Park. Meanwhile, the total population of wild buffaloes in India is approximately 4,000. They are found in Assam, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. They were also previously found in Madhya Pradesh, but became extinct over time. Correspondence regarding this took place in 2023, but at that time, no agreement was reached between the two states, nor was ATCA approval obtained.