Bannerghatta welcomes birth of two Gaur calves

The Bengaluru Bannerghatta Biological Park has become richer with the birth of two Gaur calves.

Announcing its birth, Executive Director of the Park Vanashree Singh told The Hans India that it's indeed a happy tiding for the park as it had only 8 Gaurs before the new arrivals.

The Indian Bison/ Gaur is the largest member of the cattle family, found in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, China, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

They are mostly found in evergreen, semi-evergreen, and wet deciduous forests. They can also be found in thorny and dry deciduous forests. Gaur numbers in the wild have been decreased to around 6,000 from 21,000 because of habitat fragmentation and poaching. To prevent extinction, this species is protected in India under "Schedule I" of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and is classified as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red list.

"At Bannerghatta Park in Bengaluru we have earmarked an area of 60 hectares which is more or less has acquired characteristic of natural habitat but under a definite and protected border," Ms Singh said. How rare or how common is the birth of Gaurs? When asked Ms Singh told. "It is not quite common and not rare, in the last 5-6 years we have had 5-6 births. Initially we had only three Gaurs and now we have 10. What is most important is that we now have a female calf which is helpful in keeping the male-female ratio at a healthy level."

Zoos play an important role in ex-situ conservation by breeding and increasing the number of gaurs in captivity as part of a conservation breeding programme.

The Gaurs live in harmony inside the Herbivore Safari, together with other herbivores including deer and antelopes.