Ever since the sighting of a rare wild gaur in Chumphon's Thung Tako district three months, villagers have been abuzz at the prospect of it mating with domesticated cows.
Wildlife authorities and local people say that a cross-bred animal would produce a new hybrid of cattle that would yield more economic benefits.
The cross-bred cattle would be larger than the domesticated ones and produce more meat. Also, the new breed would attract tourists.
The appearance of the huge animal in Moo 8 in tambon Tako drew the attention of Khlong Saeng Wildlife Research Centre based in Surat Thani. With sightings of the gaurs so rare in Thailand these days, the centre immediately sent more than 30 wildlife officials to work with local authorities and villagers to closely monitor the animal around the clock.
The centre is under the National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department.
They want to protect the animal from possible harm from local villagers and particularly from poachers as well as to handle crowds of curious residents and visitors who have flocked to catch a glimpse of the rare creature.
Gaurs, or krating, are a protected species under the Wildlife Preservation and Protection Act. They are under constant threat from poachers.
Kriangsak Sribuarod, head of the research centre, said the gaur that was sighted is a young male about four to five years old and weighs about 600 kilogrammes. A fully-grown gaur bull can weigh more than a tonne.
Mr Kriangsak believes it may have drifted away from its herd roaming in protected forests which are part of the Ngao Waterfall National Park covering areas of both Chumphon and Ranong provinces.
Forestry and local administration officials set out to survey the natural habitat of wild gaurs sighted in the forests of Thung Tako district, Chumphon.A stray gaur found in tambon Tako has raised local residents’ hopes of crossbreeding it with local cows to producenew quality beef cattle.The gaur itself has also attracted tourists to the village in the tambon.
A recent survey showed that 40 to 50 gaurs live in small separate herds of between four and five in the national park.
Mr Kriangsak said gaurs usually live and forage in sparse forests with large trees mixed with small trees, rather than in open grasslands exposed to strong sunlight.
In the three months since it was sighted, the stray gaur has stayed close to Moo 8 and appears to have become familiar with local people as well as domesticated cattle.
"This has never happened before. The area around the village, which is peaceful and has enough grass and water, may have been a factor in attracting the animal," Mr Kriangsak said.
The centre has reported the sighting of the gaur to the department's head office and has asked for advice on how to deal with it.
"It is too risky to use a tranquilliser gun to sedate and capture the gaur and take it back to its original habitat.
"If the tranquilliser is too strong, the animal could be at risk of a heart attack, but if the sedative is too mild, chances are the gaur will resist and flee deep into the forest," Mr Kriangsak said.
He said it was unclear what the department's senior officials will do about the gaur.
Capturing and relocating such a huge wild beast requires careful planning and preparations, necessary equipment and vehicles that can move the animal fast enough, Mr Kriangsak said.
However, while the gaur is still roaming and foraging near the village, Mr Kriangsak hinted at the possibility that the gaur bull may mate and crossbreed with cows kept by local villagers.
The mating and crossbreeding of gaurs and domesticated cows has been reported in Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia, though there has been no record of that in Thailand, Mr Kriangsak said.
"In terms of wildlife conservation, such a mating could have a downside as it would taint a pure breed of wild animal. But speaking in terms of agribusiness, it is possible that crossbreeding might yield economic benefits as it would produce a new breed of larger cattle yielding more beef," he said.
Mettha Kapitathai, deputy director of Chumphon College of Agriculture and Technology, said the gaur is roaming and foraging for food in the college's oil palm plantation which covers 600 rai.
The plantation is an ideal feeding ground for the gaur as well as local cattle as it has plenty of water and vast verdant fields.
Mr Mettha said the college's executives are willing to work with related agencies to protect and preserve the gaur and, if possible, find ways to crossbreed the gaur with local cattle.
The stray gaur was sighted at the college's area in June. But when officials and locals were trying to monitor it, it fled into the forest on the mountain and hid there for a while before coming out and roaming near the village.
The villagers are now letting their cows forage in the college's area, hoping that if the cows are on heat they could possibly mate with the gaur bull, Mr Mettha said.
Samrit Rungchuang, chief of Thung Tako tambon administrative organisation, said a meeting of the TAO agreed that a fence should be built around the area where the gaur is roaming to prevent it from wandering away from the village and to prevent the animal from being killed by poachers.
He said local villagers are happy to have the gaur as the area has now become a tourist spot with visitors turning up in droves to see the animal.
He said an observation platform will probably be built for the tourists to watch the gaur. More than 100 people from the village and visitors from elsewhere come to see the animal each day.
Chumphon governor Pirasak Hinmuangkao said the local residents have been essential in providing the vital effort needed to conserve the gaur. He has ordered local officials to regularly track the gaur's movements near the village and in the wild.
The stray gaur stands near domestic cows on the fringe of the village. PHOTOS BY AMNART THONGDEE
