The Forest Department captured a male Indian gaur, aged between 18 and 20, near Arenur in Chikkamagaluru district on Saturday evening, marking what officials described as the first scientific capture of the species in South India.

The operation was originally planned at Koppa Estate, near Koppa, but was shifted to Arenur by Saturday afternoon as staff reported no gaur movement there and received information about an animal straying close to human habitation near Balehonnur.

“We shifted the operation to Arenur. An Indian gaur was captured scientifically, for the first time,” said E. Shivashankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Koppa Division. The animal is being transported to the Shivamogga Zoo for observation, after which the department will decide on releasing it back into the forest, the officer stated.

The operation is part of a broader initiative to develop a Standard Operating Procedure for the capture and translocation of conflict-causing Indian gaurs in the district. Six people have lost their lives in gaur attacks in Chikkamagaluru over the past three years.