Crowding onlookers made bison rescue all but impossible to be safe

PUNE A male gaur (Indian bison) lost its way and wandered into Mahatma society in Kothrud at 8 am. The bison weighed 700kg to 800kg, was 5.5 feet in height and was

PUNE A male gaur (Indian bison) lost its way and wandered into Mahatma society in Kothrud at 8 am. The bison weighed 700kg to 800kg, was 5.5 feet in height and was around three-four-years old.

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According to forest officials, the gaur is listed as Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and is tagged as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.

Despite the forest department succeeding in rescuing the animal from the urban area of Kothrud, the bison died later in captivity.

“The bison was rescued on the second attempt, as the first attempt in Mahatma Society failed when despite residents being informed to stay indoors, they crowded to see the bison. We used nets and a tranquiliser gun, but the bison jumped and ran. He kept on running from humans and the fast approaching vehicles, for 12km, until the forest officials finally managed to capture him, with crowds on all sides,” said Anil Khaire, head of the rehabilitation and rescue centre, Katraj.

“While treating him, the bison breathed his last. It was suffering from high pressure and myopathy , which is often a fatal, exertion- or stress-induced muscle degenerative condition affecting captured wild animals. The myopathy referred to relates to the muscle damage and weakness observed after a strenuous event,” said Rahul Patil, divisional forest official.

The officials feel the biggest hurdle in capturing and rescuing the bison was the crowd of people, and trying to get a closer look of the bison.

Retired forest official Sanjay Marne said, “When it comes to rescue or capture of wild animals, we have often maintained a good team of rescue workers and are equipped with enough tranquiliser guns and protection nets to cordon off the animal from running away. Here too, the officials had all their equipment, but the public is a major nuisance and causes lots of hurdles to a quiet rescue. It is a wild animal has not seen so many humans, hence, it tends to jump and run scared.”