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Indian bison from Indapur translocated to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve
The bison had stayed in Indapur since the pandemic period, however, last year, it become more aggressive and caused much damage including crops as well as domestic animal losses in the area
The forest department translocated an aggressive Indian bison from Indapur to the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Chandoli on July 16. According to officials, this is the first such translocation of a bison in Pune district.
The bison had stayed in Indapur since the pandemic period, however, last year, it become more aggressive and caused much damage including crops as well as domestic animal losses in the area.
Ashutosh Shendage, assistant conservator of forest, Pune forest division said, “During the lockdown, a group of Indian bison left their natural habitat and migrated to Indapur via Baramati-Saswad and resided there for a few days.”
“While the rest returned to their natural habitat, a male bison was left behind and made its habitat around the Indapur area. However, over the period, he became more aggressive. The bison started attacking domestic animals in the areas, and for this, he was often coming to human habitat leading to conflict in the Indapur tehsil,” said Shendage.
“After receiving several complaints from residents, the forest department decided to launch a rescue mission for the animal,” he said.
On July 15, the department launched the rescue operation with the help of its rapid rescue team and members from RESQ Charitable Trust. The team secured the area, to avoid a crowd on the rescue site. With the help of a dart gun, anaesthesia was given to the bison.
“After four hours of effort, the department succeeded in capturing the bison safely. After thoroughly inspecting the health condition of the bison the animal was safely translated to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in Chandoli on July 16,” said Shendage.
Gayatri Rajgurav Awdhani, a member of the Eco Rescue Daund organisation, said, “We received several complaints from residents of Indapur about bison attack on crops and domestic animals. Reportedly, more than seven buffalos have died in the last year due to bison attacks, and at least 15 have been injured. These incidents created panic among residents.”
“Now that the bison has been captured and translocated to its natural habitat, people in Indapur will be relieved,” he added.
