Context

• Recently, a case of poaching of Indian Bison was discovered using a sniffer dog in West Bengal.

Back to basics

✔️Protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act.

✔️Commonly referred to as gaur in the northern parts of the country, is listed as ‘vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List.

✔️Domesticated form of the gaur is called gayal (Bos frontalis) or mithun

✔️confined to evergreen forests or semi-evergreen and moist deciduous forests, but also occur in deciduous forest

✔️Wayanad – Nagarhole – Mudumalai – Bandipur is the largest Complex in India

✔️Imp Distribution-Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project, Periyar Tiger Reserve and Silent Valley and Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary

✔️Biggest among wild cattle