Gaur or Indian Bison

[Praveen Siddannavar]

I love photographing this beautiful animal, that is at times neglected as most of our attention is caught up by cats in the forests. I made this portrait recently at Kabini.

The Gaur (Bos gaurus), also called Indian bison, is a large wild cattle native to South Asia and South East Asia. The species is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list since 1986 as the population decline in parts
of the species' range is likely to be well over 70% over the last three generations. Population trends are stable in well-protected areas, and are rebuilding in a few areas which had been neglected.
The gaur is the largest species of wild cattle, bigger than the African buffalo. The average weight is 650 to 1,000 kg (1,400 to 2,200 lb), with an occasional large bull weighing up to 1,500 kg (3,300 lb). Males are about one-fourth larger and heavier than females. Gaur graze on a wider variety of plants than any other ungulate species of India, with a preference for the upper portions of plants, such as leaf blades, stems, seeds and flowers of grass species.
The major threat to gaur is the continuing shrinkage and degradation of its habitat. In many protected areas and even some National Parks, domestic livestock actually compete with gaur for grazing. Besides this, domestic livestock are also carriers of serious diseases such as rinderpest and foot-and-mouth, with which gaur can easily be infected.

Camera - Canon 1D Mark IV, Canon f4 500mm
EXIF - ISO 800 Av 4 Tv 1/800 sec EC - 0.3, Full frame
Rajiv Gandhi National Park, Kabini.
Nov'12