Wild gaur relocation drive begins in Karnataka’s Malnad to curb human-animal conflict
Bengaluru: Considering the growing human-wildlife conflict in Karnataka’s Malnad region, which has become a major cause of concern due to frequent encounters with wild animals creating fear among the local population, authorities have now initiated action to relocate gaurs that pose an increasing threat, officials confirmed on Friday. The operation is considered the first of its kind in South India.
The state government and the forest department have launched a first-of-its-kind operation to capture and relocate dangerous gaurs identified in the region. The Forest Department has officially issued orders to capture and relocate three gaurs classified as dangerous.
To ensure the success of the mission, forest officials underwent specialised training in various states, including Gujarat, before launching the operation. The relocation drive has currently begun near Koppa Estate, where a six-member team of veterinary experts and two trained elephants are being deployed for the task.
Residents and farmers in the Malnad region have welcomed the Forest Department’s bold initiative, expressing hope that the operation will bring relief from the constant fear caused by wild animal attacks.
Officials said that if the mission is successfully completed, Karnataka will become the first state in South India to capture and relocate wild gaurs.
The menace caused by wild elephants had already prompted relocation measures. Wild gaurs, commonly referred to as Indian bison, have been repeatedly damaging crops in the Malnad belt and have also attacked farmers and members of the public on several occasions.
It can be recalled that a 30-year-old plantation worker, Chethan, died following a wild bison (Indian gaur) attack in a private estate near Marasanige, Kalasa taluk of Chikkamagaluru district on April 18. The incident occurred while he was working, sparking local protests regarding frequent human-wildlife conflicts in the region.
Chetan encountered the bison while working in the estate in the early hours of the day. The animal hit him, and one of the horns pierced his abdomen. The local people took him to the government hospital at Kalasa, where he succumbed to the injury. This was the third death in an attack by a gaur in Chikkamagaluru district since February 2025.