Captive breeding of Indian Gaur has got yet another shot in the arm with the birth of a male calf at Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur recently.
The calf is the ninth to be born to 12-year-old Indian Gaur, Geetha.
The calf, which weighs around 25 kg, and its mother are healthy and the former is being given special care by veterinarians at Vandalur zoo. The number of Gaurs has now increased to 17, including eight females.
Earlier a four-year-old Indian gaur, Kaveri, gave birth to a male calf in May 2013, and six-year-old Lakshmi gave birth to a female calf the same year.
The gestation period for the species is 275 days.
“The calf is on a special diet that comprises coconut, bananas and greens, in addition to milk. The mother and calf are kept away from other animals as a precaution,” said zoo director and additional principal chief conservator of forests, K.S.S.V.P Reddy.
Vulnerable speices
The Indian Gaur (Bos gaurus) is a large bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since 1986, as its population is on the decline.
Gaurs are the heaviest and strongest of all wild cattle, weighing around 1,500 kg (males) and 1,000 kg (females). In south India, they are found in the Western Ghats in the national parks at Wayanad, Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Bandipur.
