The pilot operation to capture and relocate Indian gaurs entered its second day at Koppa Estate, near Koppa in Chikkamagaluru, on Friday. However, the day’s operation ended without a capture, after the targeted animal proved too heavy to transport.
Forest staff had successfully tranquilised a healthy male gaur using a dart, but upon assessing the animal, the team found it weighed heavy, making it impossible to carry. The animal was subsequently revived and released.
“We successfully sedated a healthy male gaur. However, it was too heavy, weighing more than 1,000 kg, to be moved. We revived and let it go,” said Yashpal Kshirasagar, Conservator of Forests, Chikkamagaluru Circle. He added that the operation aims to develop a Standard Operating Procedure for capturing and relocating gaurs, and will continue on Saturday. The operation would end with the capture of three Indian gaurs.
A team of forest officials, field staff, and veterinarians remain camped at Koppa for the operation, said to be the first of its kind in South India. The department has been tasked with relocating gaurs on an experimental basis following a spike in human-gaur conflict in the region. Six people have lost their lives in gaur attacks in the district over the past three years.
