Toda Buffalo Breed Conservation
The Toda buffalo, a unique breed of Asiatic water buffalo, thrives in the Nilgiris and is integral to the culture and ecology of the indigenous Toda people.
The ‘Toda buffalo’ represents one of the few breeds of the Asiatic water buffalo, Bubalus bubalis and, like their masters (the indigenous Toda people), is restricted to the Nilgiris. There are two forms of the Asian buffalo—the riverine type found in South Asia, and the swamp buffalo, which is from S.E. Asia. The Asiatic buffalo has a skin with very sparse sweat glands, and thus is often spotted submerged in a pool of water in the plains of South Asia.
Although the Toda buffalo breed has adapted to the temperate Nilgiri climate by being much hairier than their cousins in the nearby plains, they can be occasionally spotted soaking themselves in pools of water during the summer months. They also thrive in the adverse conditions of the Nilgiri plateau, be it the Southwest Monsoon with its cold, piercing winds, or the winter hoar frosts. They are not stall fed but graze over long distances in the open Nilgiri meadows and are able to subsist on the coarse highland grasses
The most visible characteristics of a purebred Toda buffalo are its semi wild, ferocious demeanour along with the sweeping, crescent-shaped horns that are over 60 cm long. Its coat colour ranges from fawn (most common) to black and light grey. They have dark-coloured hairs present on the face. The age at first calving is around 3 years and the calving interval is just over one year. The calving season peaks in August, when only single calves are born. Calf mortality remains high and this is the single most important factor for their declining population. This breed is said to be resistant to mastitis, besides having high life expectancy. The milk yield is relatively low, although it is high in fat content, at around 8.5%. Since the milk is completely organic, it and its products should become very popular if promoted well.
Despite their well-known ferocity and potentially lethal, crescent-shaped horns, Todas are able to control and communicate with them wonderfully. Each buffalo has its own personal name by which its owner calls out to it and they respond immediately. Todas believe that their distinct buffaloes were created by their pre-eminent goddess Taihhki(r)shy. One of the first sights shown to a child at his naming ceremony is that of the sacred buffalo herd belonging to his clan.
Today, the herd size of both sacred and domestic buffaloes has shrunk dramatically and if immediate steps are not taken to propagate the purebred animals and increase the population, it is feared that the Toda culture dating back to ancient times, might collapse, as without the sacred herds, they will be unable to operate their dairy-temples. Hence this project is the most important need if Toda culture is to survive and thrive and also to save a distinct buffalo breed from extinction.
Camera trap image of a tiger at a Toda hamlet
Some years ago, EBR had a partnership with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) under their RAP and IUCN-NL (small grants programme) to breed a pool of buffaloes by the Toda pastoralists. Whenever there was an attack on a buffalo, we compensated the owner with a similar animal. After the forest department simplified the procedure for compensation, it was turned into a buffalo breeding programme, being supported by Mr Piero Hug from Switzerland. There are over twenty buffalo in this pool and the Todas are also benefiting from the milk sales. We hope to take this vital project forward by professionally breeding the endangered and endemic Toda buffalo breed. At the same time, we plan to undertake another venture with WTI to conserve the tigers that are resident around Toda hamlets.
Tiger resurgence in the Nilgiris
.jpg)
The majestic tiger (Panthera tigris) is the flagship mammal species of India and its population is estimated at over three thousand for the country, and declining alarmingly. This has drawn international attention with the entire population of tigers being wiped out from the prestigious Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, some years ago.
The tiger population of the Upper Nilgiris has traditionally been very high. There are old reports of the British asking the natives to ‘beat’ shola forests within Ooty Town for scaring out woodcock birds. And only to find that a tiger hiding within the copse comes charging out! Of course, all this hunting coupled with the poisoning of cattle carcasses took its toll. Within a few decades, there were hardly any tigers to be seen roaming the upper plateau.
The Toda people also fear the tiger as a possible predator of their buffaloes. Today, when the population of tigers in the Upper Nilgiris is making a comeback, and their numbers are increasing, this is again a source of anxiety. Many buffaloes are being constantly killed by tiger attacks in and around various Toda hamlets. Unlike some other groups, the Todas do not poison the carcasses of cattle and thus finish off the tiger. Thus, they should be speedily compensated for their losses
Some time ago, the Todas held a general meeting of all their clans to discuss this issue and concluded that they themselves must have committed some mistakes for these tiger attacks to befall their buffaloes. At one time, their buffalo herds were large enough to fend off most tiger attacks. But with these herds having shrunk drastically, they are often easy prey. The Todas believe the tiger to be a protector of their buffaloes and their culture. Thus, their first reaction when a buffalo is predated upon is to introspect and see why the defender has become an attacker. They often conclude that since their culture is eroding, the Todas themselves are to blame. Such reactions are very rare in this modern age. The interesting aspect is that these tigers residing around many Toda hamlets are, in all likelihood, not fully enumerated in the census of pan-Indian tigers. But this makes them all the more vulnerable as they could easily be obliterated without any repercussions.
