A 15-year-old male gaur died of injuries, possibly sustained during a fight with other gaurs, in the Sanakuppam reserve forest near Odugathur, on the Vellore - Tirupattur border.
Forest officials said that a group of devotees, who were local residents, saw the injured animal near the tank at the local Perumal temple inside the forest on April 28. Local residents are allowed to worship at the temple by the forest department as they have been doing so since decades. The Sanakuppam reserve forest lies in the Odugathur and Ambur forest ranges that come under the Vellore and Tirupattur districts respectively.
Based on an alert from the residents, a forest team led by Guruswamy Dabbala, district forest officer, Vellore, and forest range officers of Odugathur (Vellore), S. Indu, and Ambur (Tirupattur), M. Babu, rushed to the spot. The area near the wounded gaur was cordoned off to prevent other wild animals from attacking it.
Probably, the animal had stayed near the tank as its legs and thighs had been severely injured, which made it difficult for the animal to move around. A team of veterinarians attended to its injuries. “We placed food and water next to the gaur. and monitored its condition. But, it died of the injuries,” Mr. M. Babu told The Hindu.
Forest officials said that the forest patrol team has recorded at least seven Indian Gaurs in that part of the Sanakuppam forest under the Odugathur range. Among them, three Gaurs were one herd while the remaining four were part of another herd. The dead gaur belongs to the first three-member pack.
Forest officials and tribal villagers in the region often notice these animals visiting the temple tank for water, especially during summers. It must have been during a similar visit that the herds got into a fight.
The animal died around 9.40 a.m. As the gaur is classified as an endangered species under the Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972, a post-mortem was conducted in the presence of eyewitnesses including village elders and wildlife activists. Later, the animal was later buried in the reserve forest.
The post-mortem report will let us know the actual cause of its death, forest officials said.
