Mysuru: The famous Mysuru zoo is sending a few of its female Indian Bison to the Chamundi Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Koorgalli, where a breeding centre has been set up to act as a “gene bank” of this endangered bovine to help its survival.
A couple of days ago, two female bison or gaurs as they are called, were shifted from the zoo to the breeding centre , but one died of a disease and another,“Rani” is getting acclimatised to the new conditions. Two more female bisons are expected at the centre from the Mysuru zoo next week.
Member Secretary of the Zoo Authority of Karnataka (ZAK), B.P. Ravi, reveals that permission has been sought from the Union government to capture a wild male gaur from the forests for the centre to help with the breeding.
The Central Zoo Authority has recognized Mysuru as a breeding centre of the gaurs and for storing their gene.
While 8.5 acres have been earmarked for gaur breeding at the Chamundi rescue centre, another eight acres have been kept in reserve for future expansion.
Range Forest Officer, Manjunath explains that Mysuru is naturally well suited for gaur breeding owing to its proximity to both the Western and Eastern Ghats and its climatic conditions.
Staff of the rehabilitation centre say that the enclosures are ready for the gaurs, but they will be let loose inside them only after a couple of months when they are fully acclimatised.
