Steady but sure growth of translocated gaur in Bandhavgarh

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The pleasure of reversing a local extinction is measured by how well the new population does post the translocation. The attached picture is of calf number 11, recently born to the herd in Bandhavgarh National Park, bringing the total of free ranging gaur in the reserve up to 55.

This is really fantastic news for the Forest Department in Madhya Pradesh and is concrete evidence of the value of active management. There are many potential pitfalls for a population establishing itself and growing well in an open systems and it is my opinion that the decision to fence some of the conflict areas in Bandhavgarh has been a major contributor to the success of this project. With researchers monitoring the herd’s daily movements, a much better understanding is emerging of the seasonal movements and habits of this iconic Indian species.

I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it again – it really is a privilege to have been a part of this ground breaking project.