Chilika buffalo (water buffalo) has been named after its place of origin in Odisha (India) known as Chilika Lake. This is a unique breed of buffalo which spends the whole night grazing on weeds in Chilika water and the morning they usually return to their master’s house. This breed has an exceptional capability of converting the saline biomass of the lake into the most precious milk and dung. After returning to master’s house, buffaloes give milk and move in and around the house in day time and as the night comes they revert to Chilika, thus it has been given the title “the night queen of Chilika”. Some buffaloes follow day time grazing routine also.
Distribution
Chilika buffaloes are found nearby the villages around Chilika Lake in Odisha. The area covers parts of Puri, Ganjam and Khurda districts of Odisha. The heavy concentration of these buffaloes is seen in Rambha and Palur area in Ganjam district, Bramhagiri, Satapada, Krushnaprasad, Parikud and Malud in Puri and Bhusandpur and Tangi area of Khurda district. The total population of the Chilika buffalo is estimated to be around 30,000 in number.
Breed Origin and Development
The animals are primarily found in villages in and around the Chilika Lake like Bhusandapur, Balugaon, Satapada, Brahmagiri and Krushnaparashad area of Khurda and Puri district. The animals are mostly reared in the free-range system depending upon the saline weeds of Chilika lake.
The animals depend upon the weeds found under the water of Chilika lake and have a capability to put their snout inside the water for 2-3 minutes to feed upon these weeds.
Breed Description.
The animals are medium-sized and compact.
Horns are Crescent-shaped. Bent backwards and inward
Coat Color is mostly dark brown with brownish hair.
The forehead is flat and proportionate to the body size.
Ears are small to medium-sized with little droopy
The udder is small. Milk vein is less prominent.
The tail is small to medium in length.
These animals attain maturity at the age of around 30-34 months
The lactation length is around 238 days
Breed utility and Special Qualities.
The breed is a dual-purpose animal with good quality milk and draft ability. The consistent milk products like ‘Dahi’ is highly thick usually kept in bamboo baskets.
Source: https://olrds.nic.in/