Himalayan News Service

Dharan, January 24

By mid-February, the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve (KTWR) will begin its ‘expel the buffaloes’ drive to clear the reserve of all domestic livestock. Within last April, more than 100 buffaloes were killed for flouting the rules.

Reserve officials fumed that the villagers around the KTWR herd in their cattle for grazing. The administration has threatened to take strict action if the villagers don’t mend their ways. The expulsion drive will begin as soon as the Migratory Birds’ Festival concludes. The weeklong festival begins on February 2.

The killing of buffaloes last year had affected 44 households of Tapeshwori VDC-1 in Udayapur district. Villagers claimed more than 100 head died but KTWR officials said the toll was not more than 30. The killings also caused tension between locals and KTWR personnel. Last year was the first occasion that so many cattle were killed since implementation of the KTWR’s action plan against livestock in the Reserve.

Warden Ganga Ram Singh has warned the locals of a repeat of last year’s tough action. The warden added that it was their compulsion, not pleasure to ask the army to annihilate locals’ cattle-wealth. It is estimated that about 6,000 cows and 5,000 buffaloes graze daily in the KTWR. The cattle remain for months and some even reproduce there.

Established for conservation of rare wild buffaloes, the KTWR is their major habitat. The increasing number of domestic animals in KTWR are creating problems for the wild buffaloes, resulting in decline of the latter’s population. Experts agree that the wild buffalo population is dwindling.

The KTWR personnel said there are only 104 wild buffaloes now in the Reserve. Lack of fodder and disturbed habitat often drives the wild buffaloes out of the KTWR and into villagers’ fields. In ensuing encounters between man and beast, the villagers get hurt.

Warden Singh said that the KTWR men recently visited the villages in Udayapur district and asked villagers to take their cattle out of the KTWR. The requests have fallen on deaf ears, so far. Locals cited lack of grazing land as the reason for leaving their cattle in the KTWR. But KTWR men disclosed that the locals were allured by the high-price cattle they get from crossing their buffaloes with the wild variety. The crossbreed variety sells at very high prices in cattle marts.

Major Ram Nath Dhungana of the army barrack said that he was merely waiting for the KTWR nod to spring into action against erring villagers.