HYDERABAD: A pregnant Indian gaur (bison) was electrocuted by a cable illegally drawing electricity to a borewell, from an overhead 11KV line, near Regallapadu village in Khammam district. The incident occurred on patch of cleared forest land for which a podu patta was granted recently.
Forest department officials, who conducted a post-mortem examination on the gaur, found that it was about seven months pregnant. The gaur ws about four years old and weighed about 500 kg.
The incident came to light on January 19, and four people have been arrested out of six who were involved in placing the wire. The arrested were produced before a local court and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody for the killing of a wild animal listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
According to forest officials, a showcause notice was issued to the electricity department for allowing illegal power lines inside the reserve forest. Integrated Tribal Welfare Agency officials will be asked to cancel the podu patta title deed of the offenders. The district administration is being approached to remove illegal electrical lines in wildlife areas.
The patch of forest land for which podu pattas were granted, in Regallapadu village, is reported to be around 40 hectares in all, and is flanked by dense forest on two sides with wild animals moving from one patch of the forested land to another through the area cleared for Podu.
It is time that the dense forest in the area be declared as a wildlife sanctuary for the gaur with estimates of between 60 and 70 of these animals, the largest bison species in the world, making their home in the area, sources said.
