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Wild gaur (commonly known as bison) menace and threat has begun to creep into the town limits of Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district.
The residents in the Kotagiri area fear the bison attacks around the residential areas and want the foresters to be active round-the-clock to tackle the man-animal conflict in the backdrop of drying jungles forcing wild animals to stray out. Speaking about the bison menace, Linda, a resident said, "Although the gaur menace had been confined to forest fringes in the hills so far, now, things have begun to change for the worse as gaurs began to stray into town limits here, spreading panic among the residents." For the past few days, the gaur menace has been particularly high in the Donnington area of Kotagiri, Nilgiris, she added. Another resident Jenisa spoke on the issue and said, "Nilgiris district has a 60 per cent forest area. These forest areas include elephants, tigers, leopards, bison, bears and other wild animals. These wild animals are straying near residential areas of the region due to the shortage of food in the forest areas." The people of the area are afraid to come out of their houses as a result of the wild animal menace. Gaurs stray into the town limits shortly after sunset looking for fodder in the farmlands. It keeps the residents in fear when it crosses the streets to move to the other side, she added. Citing a recent incident from the bison attack in the area, Jenisa said, "A 30-year-old local farmer, Siva was injured by a bison while working in a carrot garden in Mutukula village near Utagai. People in the area then chased away the bison and rescued him. He was then admitted for treatment at Ooty Government Medical College Hospital." The gaur, also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is a strong and massively built bovine with a high convex ridge on the forehead between the horns, which protrudes anteriorly, causing a deep hollow in the profile of the upper part of the head. (ANI)
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