Amidst the raging pandemic, the Bannerghatta Biological Park on Friday reported the birth of two gaur (bison) calves.
Though the gaurs had given birth in December, they were kept under observation and displayed to the public only on Friday, according to officials at the BBP.
“The gaurs Shwetha and Kumta have given birth to one calf each within a span of one week. While one calf is a male, the other is a female,” explained Vanashree Vipin Singh, executive director, BBP.
Veterinarians at the park told DH both the mothers and calves are doing very well.
The gaur is listed under ‘Schedule 1’ of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List globally.
According to a formal release, in captivity, zoos play a crucial role in ex-situ conservation by breeding gaurs under the conservation breeding programme and thereby enhancing their population.
At BBP, about 10 gaurs have been housed in semi-captive conditions within an extent of 68 hectares in the herbivore safari along with other herbivores such as deer and antelopes.
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