Indian bison gives birth at zoo

CHENNAI: In a boost to captive breeding of Indian bison, six-year-old gaur Suba gave birth to a male calf in an enclosure at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur on Monday. This is the third time Suba has given birth in the zoo.

The cub, which weighs around 30kg, and the mother are healthy. The calf is being given special care by zoo veterinarians including Dr R Thirumurugan and biologist Dr Manimozhi making periodic checks. The total number of Indian bison in the zoo has increased to 11 including seven females. The gestation period of the animal is 275 days. It was in March this year three-year-old bison Kaveri had given birth to a female calf. This is the fourth calf to be born this year in Vandalur.

“The cub is feeding on the mother’s milk. Their health is being monitored by our vets,” said zoo director, K S S V P Reddy.

The Indian bison or gaur (Bos gaurus) is a large bovine native to south Asia. It has been listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 1986 as its population is on the decline. Bigger than the African and wild water buffalo, they are the heaviest and the most powerful of all wild cattle. An adult male weighs between 1,000kg and 1,500kg, while a female weighs between 700kg and 1,000kg. The lifespan of a bison in the wild is around 20 years and five years more in captivity.

Gaur have one calf (occasionally two) after a gestation period of about about nine months, a few days less than that of domestic cattle.