3 weeks ago
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A important cognition to seizure and relocate Indian gaurs, said to beryllium the first-of-its-kind successful southbound India, could not instrumentality disconnected successful Koppa, Chikkamagaluru district, connected Thursday owed to rains. The cognition has been rescheduled for Friday morning.
The Forest Department officials from the Chikkamagaluru Circle had made extended preparations to seizure 3 Indian gaurs that person been causing interest successful the Koppa Estate, adjacent Koppa town. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Kumar Pushkar was contiguous astatine the tract to oversee the exercise.
The cognition was necessitated by a spate of fatal attacks, six radical person been killed by gaurs successful Chikkamagaluru territory implicit the past 3 years. A squad of elder officials, including Yashpal Ksheerasagar, Conservator of Forests, Chikkamagaluru Circle, had earlier visited the Kanha Tiger Reserve successful Madhya Pradesh to survey a akin relocation workout carried retired astatine the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
Forest Department officials engaging successful a drill, arsenic portion of an workout to seizure Indian gaurs astatine Koppa successful Chikkamagaluru, connected Thursday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“There is nary precedent for the seizure and relocation of Indian gaurs successful the chaotic successful southbound India. We are carrying this retired connected an experimental basis,” Mr. Ksheerasagar told The Hindu. “Karnataka presently has a Standard Operating Procedure for capturing chaotic elephants, but nary equivalent exists for Indian gaurs. This cognition volition assistance america make one,” helium said.
The officials noted that the SOP followed successful Madhya Pradesh cannot beryllium straight applied successful Karnataka owed to important differences successful terrain and wood type. “The scenery successful Madhya Pradesh is flat, whereas ours is not. The quality of the wood is besides precise different. We are conducting drills to hole our unit for the existent operation,” Mr. Ksheerasagar said.
The section unit person identified 2 herds of Indian gaurs, 1 of 18 animals and different of 16, roaming successful the vicinity of Koppa. Permission has been granted to seizure 3 animals and relocate them to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. A squad of six veterinarians, including Chettiappa from Dubare, is supporting the operation, which has besides been equipped with 2 kumki elephants.
E. Shivashankar, Deputy Conservator of Forests, Koppa Division, said the animals would beryllium tranquilised utilizing modular drugs, though a fixed dosage protocol is yet to beryllium established. “A squad of adept veterinarians volition find the due dosage. The full workout is aimed astatine helping america make a ceremonial SOP for gaur management,” helium said.
