Why in news?
The Indian gaur population increases around the tourist towns of Udhagamandalam, Coonoor, Kotagiri and Gudalur in Tamil Nadu.
What is happening?
- Recently, four people were killed and eight others suffered injuries during conflicts with Indian gaur in the Nilgiris North Division alone since September 2016.
- There has been a dramatic rise in the Indian gaur population as well as an increase in the human population in the habitats nearby.
- In the Nilgiris North Forest Division, awareness campaigns have been conducted in many places where humans share the landscape with the Indian Gaur.
- There was serious consideration of mass translocation of the gaurs.
What do the environmentalists say?
- Environmentalists said conflicts between gaur and humans would only intensify, as the lack of natural predators that hunt the animal in the upper slopes of the Nilgiris.
- But they point out that translocation is not feasible, as introducing large herbivores to the extremely sensitive Sigur plateau could have even more serious consequences on the local wildlife.
- It can put an even greater strain on the resources available to the wildlife there, which already have to compete with cattle and livestock herds.
- It is noticed that there is a huge behavioural difference between the Indian gaur that live in urban landscapes, around the towns, and the animals that inhabit the MTR.
- The gaurs in towns are acclimatised to people, cars and buildings, and are unfazed by human activity.
- These animals have very little chance of surviving in a completely wild habitat if trans-located.
Indian Gaur:
- The Gaur also called Indian Bison, is the largest extant bovine, native to South Asia and Southeast Asia.
- It has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- Gaur historically occurred throughout mainland South and Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Myanmar, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Nepal.
- Gaur are largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also occur in deciduous forest areas at the periphery of their range.
- Gaur is highly threatened by poaching for trade to supply international markets.
Source: The Hindu
