A significant operation to capture and relocate Indian gaurs, said to be the first-of-its-kind in south India, could not take off in Koppa, Chikkamagaluru district, on Thursday due to rains. The operation has been rescheduled for Friday morning.
The Forest Department officials from the Chikkamagaluru Circle had made extensive preparations to capture three Indian gaurs that have been causing concern in the Koppa Estate, near Koppa town. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Kumar Pushkar was present at the site to oversee the exercise.
The operation was necessitated by a spate of fatal attacks, six people have been killed by gaurs in Chikkamagaluru district over the past three years. A team of senior officials, including Yashpal Ksheerasagar, Conservator of Forests, Chikkamagaluru Circle, had earlier visited the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to study a similar relocation exercise carried out at the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Forest Department officials engaging in a drill, as part of an exercise to capture Indian gaurs at Koppa in Chikkamagaluru, on Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“There is no precedent for the capture and relocation of Indian gaurs in the wild in south India. We are carrying this out on an experimental basis,” Mr. Ksheerasagar told The Hindu. “Karnataka currently has a Standard Operating Procedure for capturing wild elephants, but no equivalent exists for Indian gaurs. This operation will help us develop one,” he said.
The officials noted that the SOP followed in Madhya Pradesh cannot be directly applied in Karnataka due to significant differences in terrain and forest type. “The landscape in Madhya Pradesh is flat, whereas ours is not. The nature of the forest is also very different. We are conducting drills to prepare our staff for the actual operation,” Mr. Ksheerasagar said.
The department staff have identified two herds of Indian gaurs, one of 18 animals and another of 16, roaming in the vicinity of Koppa. Permission has been granted to capture three animals and relocate them to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. A team of six veterinarians, including Chettiappa from Dubare, is supporting the operation, which has also been equipped with two kumki elephants.
E. Shivashankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Koppa Division, said the animals would be tranquilised using standard drugs, though a fixed dosage protocol is yet to be established. “A team of expert veterinarians will determine the appropriate dosage. The entire exercise is aimed at helping us develop a formal SOP for gaur management,” he said.