Gaur

The gaur (Bos gaurus; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a large bovine native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986.

They are frequently known to go into fields and graze alongside domestic cattle, sometimes killing them in fights.

Where gaur herds have not been disturbed, they are basically diurnal.

Population trends appeared to be relatively stable.

The gaur is listed in CITES Appendix I, and is legally protected in all range states.

Overhunting had reduced the population, and survivors occurred mainly in remote sites.

In Laos, the gaur is highly threatened by poaching for trade to supply international markets, but also by opportunistic hunting, and specific hunting for home consumption.

The lifespan of a gaur in captivity is up to 30 years.

It is largely confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also inhabits deciduous forest areas at the periphery.

The populations in India, Bhutan and Bangladesh are estimated to comprise 23,000-34,000 individuals.

In Cambodia, the gaur population declined considerably in the period from the late 1960s to the early 1990s.

The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals in 2016, with the majority of those existing in India.

In Laos, up to 200 individuals were estimated to inhabit protected area boundaries in the mid-1990s.

In Nepal, the gaur population was estimated to be 250-350 in the mid-1990s, with the majority in Chitwan National Park and the adjacent Parsa National Park.

In Vietnam, the gaur occurred in several areas in Đắk Lắk Province in 1997.