The Nili-Ravi buffalo is a breed of domestic buffalo that is similar to the Murrah buffalo. It is distributed in Bangladesh, China, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka.

But it is principally distributed in Pakistan and India and is concentrated in Punjab. It is mainly a dairy buffalo breed and is used principally for milk production.

The Nili-Ravi buffalo breed date back to the Indus River Valley civilizations when they were two different buffalo, Nili and Ravi.

However, due to coincidental standards, both buffalo breeds looked very similar and it became hard to distinguish the two. So, the two breeds became one, Nili-Ravi in 1950.

Physical Characteristics

The Nili-Ravi buffalo breed has a wedge-shaped body with a massive frame. These animals are mostly black in color, but often have white markings on the forehead, face, muzzle, and lower parts of the legs (due to which it is also called ‘Panj Kalyan‘).

Their horns are small and curly and have wall eyes. The females have a larger and strong udder.

The average body height of mature males is around 135 cm for males and around 125 cm for females.

The average live body weight of the mature Nili-Ravi is around 700 kg for males and around 600 kg for females. Photo and info from ansi.okstate.edu and Wikipedia.

Special Notes

The Nili-Ravi buffaloes are generally docile in terms of temperament. The males on average mature within 30 months of age, and the females within 36 months of age.

The average first-calving age is around 45 months. The females are very good at milk production.

The average approximate milk production is around 2000 kg per year (the maximum recorded yield is 6535 kg in a lactation period of 378 days). And the longevity of milk production is good.