Suspected albinism among Toda buffalo population prompts call for documentation of disappearing breed

A suspected case of albinism in a Toda buffalo calf has renewed calls from researchers for systematic documentation of the declining breed of water buffalo endemic to The Nilgiris.

The “unusual phenotype” was observed in a Toda buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) individual, a breed of domestic water buffalo that is endangered and endemic to the Nilgiris.

“It is closely associated with the Toda tribe, whose traditional pastoral lifestyle revolves around buffalo husbandry. The breed is uniquely adapted to high-altitude montane grasslands and is characterised by distinctive morphological features, including a compact body, chevron markings, and crescent-shaped horns,” said researchers in their paper, “A rare white coat pigmentation anomaly record of Toda buffalo calf from The Nilgiri plateau”, which was published in an open-access scientific publication. 

The researchers noted the population of the buffalo has undergone a substantial decline from over 2,100 individuals over 150-years-ago to less than a thousand individuals during a recent enumeration exercise conducted in 2023. “Such a restricted and declining population warrants increased attention to its genetic and phenotypic diversity, particularly because small and isolated populations may be more susceptible to genetic drift, loss of genetic diversity, and the expression of rare recessive traits,” said the researchers.

The calf with suspected albinism was observed in the village of Sholur near Udhagamandalam in 2022, but researchers were unable to follow-up on their observation with molecular analysis of the individual as the calf had died following their initial observation. 

“Given the small and declining population of the Toda buffalo, documenting unusual phenotypic traits may provide useful baseline information for future genetic and conservation studies. Although a single observation cannot establish a relationship between the phenotype and inbreeding, genetic deterioration, or reduced population viability, it can highlight the need for further investigation of the genetic diversity and breeding structure of the remaining population. Therefore, population-level genetic screening, together with pedigree documentation and reproductive monitoring, may be important for determining whether rare pigmentation phenotypes occur within the breed and for supporting future conservation management,” the authors note. 

In a statement, Arockianathan Samson, lead author of the paper, said that given the breed’s restricted distribution and declining population there was an urgent need for systematic documentation of the remaining individuals and unusual phenotypes through genetic screening, reproductive monitoring and pedigree documentation for the long-term conservation of the Toda buffalo.