Female gaur and calf, Kabini

[AB Apana]

Gaur (Bos gaurus) or the Indian bison are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). A decline in the quality of habitat is one of the reasons.

Still further gaur are susceptible to diseases transmitted by domestic livestock and their numbers in the Niligiri Biosphere Reserve were decimated in the 1960s by rinderpest.

Gaur are found all the way from South India till Kanha. Although rarely aggressive there have been instances of people being chased by gaur. ERC Davidar writes about being badly gored by a bull gaur near Masinagudi. The t the bull had been injured in a fight with a tiger the previous night and Davidar speculates that his following the bull in the morning had irritated it. What stands out in this attack is that the bull waited for Davidar and ambushed him. After goring him and going away it returned not once, but twice, to gore him again.

EOS 40D, 500f4 + 1.4x converter, ISO 800, Aperture Priority, f5.6 @ 1/30. Focally challenged, but I carry this combo for cats.

Thanks for looking, c & c welcome.

Apana