CHENNAI: Four-year-old Indian gaur, Roma and six year old Kaveri gave birth to a male and female Gaur at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, on October 8 and 15, respectively. With the latest addition, the Gaur count at the park has gone up to 21. The park has 12 males and nine female gaurs.
“The calves are being fed with coconut, bananas and spinach to keep them healthy,” said the official spokesperson of the park. These animals usually feed on worms, grass, bamboo leaves, plant seeds and flowers. Gaurs move in a herd of 50 or more. They are usually led by an adult female. During the peak of the breeding season, the female gaurs move with the male aged between eight to 11.
Female gaurs give birth to one calf or two after a gestation period of nine months. A calf begins to walk within 10 minutes of birth and begins running within 15 minutes. A gaur’s lives for about 30 years.
The International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed these animals on the Red List since 1986 because of their dwindling population. However in India, zoological parks in Wayanad, Nagercoil, Mudumalai and Bandipur have a large number of Indian gaurs. Poachers, if found guilty, have to go through three to seven years imprisonment and pay a fine of `25,000.