India’s First Banni Buffalo IVF Calf Born

What is the News?

India’s first In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) calf of Banni breed of buffaloes was born at a farmer’s house in Gir Somnath district, Gujarat.

What are Banni Buffaloes?

Banni buffaloes are also known as “Kutchi” or “Kundi”. It is a breed of buffalo found primarily in the Kutch district of Gujarat.

This breed of buffaloes is usually bred and preserved by a local community found in Kutch, called the ‘Maldharis‘.

Banni Buffaloes has higher milk production potentials and is also more disease resilient when compared to other common breeds.

They are also well-adapted to survive extreme weather conditions such as water scarcity, frequent droughts, low humidity and high temperatures.

Why were Banni Buffaloes chosen for IVF?

Banni buffalo is known for its higher milk-producing capacity in an arid environment. Hence, they were chosen to help the country to multiply the population of genetically superior buffaloes, resulting in higher milk yield.

How was the IVF done?

An outstanding cow or buffalo in a Banni Buffalo herd was first identified as a donor following which its embryo is then matured artificially at a laboratory, fertilised with the best quality semen in test tubes and then transferred to a recipient cow or buffalo.

Source: This post is based on the article “India’s First Banni Buffalo IVF Calf Born” published in PIB on 24th October 2021.’