A CORRESPONDENT
NUMALIGARH: A gaur (Indian bison) that came out from Nambor-Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary created mayhem in Torfat Ahomgaon village in the early hours of Thursday in Golaghat. Locals in large numbers gathered in the area to get a glimpse of the giant mammal. Teams of foresters and police reached the spot and controlled the situation. A rescue team of the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) of Kaziranga went to the spot to sedate the animal so that it could be translocated back to its home.
According to forest sources, the gaur might have reached the village when it came out from the protected areas of Nambor-Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary in search of food. One of the largest species of wild cattle, Bos Gaurus (scientific name), also known as 'Meethun' in Assamese, has been classified as vulnerable category in the 'Red List' of threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The average weight of an adult male of the species is between 600 kg to 1500 kg while the weight of an adult female is between 400 kg to 1000 kg.
Gaurs are very energetic animals with great jumping and running skills. It took a while to sedate and calm down the animal. After several attempts, the rescue team led by veterinarian Dr Samshul Ali succeeded to tranquilize the gaur. Later, it was taken and released at an undisclosed location in the Nambor-Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary. According to some reports, there were only a dozen gaurs in Nambor-Doigrung Wildlife Sanctuary in 2002. This species was struggling hard for its survival against all the odds like poaching and being hit by fast moving vehicles on NH-39.