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.
