In a concerning incident, a gaur was discovered dead under suspicious circumstances in a village in Shivamogga district on Thursday. The incident has once again brought the spotlight onto the rising number of fatalities of this protected species in the region.
Details of the Incident
The carcass of the gaur was found in a paddy field at Shakavalli village, located near Keelambi in the Koduru gram panchayat of Hosanagara taluk. The forest department was alerted about the discovery in the morning. Deputy Conservator of Forests (Sagar division) D Mohan Kumar informed that preliminary observations strongly suggest the animal died due to electrocution, likely after coming into contact with a live electric source.
Following the investigation, the forest department has taken legal action. A case has been officially registered against the farmer on whose land the incident occurred, and a formal inquiry into the matter has been initiated, officials confirmed.
A Recurring and Alarming Trend
This event is not an isolated one for the Sagar division. The region, encompassing areas like Ripponpet, Mandali, Keelambi, and Humcha, has gained notoriety for frequent gaur deaths in recent years. The conflict is multifaceted: while herds of gaurs often cause significant damage to crops, leading to tension with farmers, forest officials also suspect the involvement of poachers catering to the illegal meat trade.
The Hosanagara range has reported a particularly worrying spike in gaur fatalities. This is alarming as the gaur (Bos gaurus) is a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, affording it the highest level of protection. Despite this, the region records one of the highest death rates for the species in the state.
Calls for Action and Past Incidents
Local activist Rafi Ripponpet, who has consistently raised the issue, has urged Forest Minister Eshwar B Khandre to conduct a thorough assessment of the gaur population in the area and identify the key threats to their survival. He reminded authorities of a similar incident last year where the minister ordered a probe after a gaur skull was recovered near Ripponpet.
In a separate incident just last September, two large gaurs were found dead in a small pond near Humcha within the same Hosanagara range. The forest department had then attributed the deaths to injuries from a fight between the animals, though the postmortem report was never made public.
In a positive development amidst these tragedies, a team of veterinarians from the Shivamogga zoo successfully rescued an injured gaur from the Siddapura range in neighbouring Uttara Kannada district on the same Thursday. The animal, which suffered a right leg injury after a fall in the Gavinagudda area, was transported to the zoo for necessary medical treatment.
