Wild water buffalo nutritional ecology

As a PhD candidate I was invited by post-doc at the University of Alberta, Sean Coogan, to collaborate with a international team of researchers to evaluate the nutritional ecology of wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee) in Nepal. We joined Tej Shrestha from Kathmandu, Nepal and Achyut Aryal from Aukland New Zealand who had been studying the buffalo in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve of Nepal. At the reserve Dr. Shrestha and his colleagues tracked the buffalo and observed the species of vegetation the buffalo foraged. Samples of foraged vegetation where collected and brought back to Kathmandu for analysis of macronutrients (i.e., protein, lipid, and carbohydrates). We applied concepts of nutritional geometry to estimate the macronutrient niche of wild water buffalo. The results of our research shed light on the nutritional targets for buffalo, which provides managers with information that will be invaluable for protecting buffalo habitats and identifying suitable habitats reintroducing this endangered animal. For more information see our publication in Ecology & Evolution.

Shrestha, T. K., Hecker, L. J., Aryal, A., & Coogan, S. C. (2020).  Feeding preferences and nutritional niche of wild water buffalo (Bubalus  arnee) in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal. Ecology and Evolution.

Photo credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_water_buffalo