Meera Bhardwaj:
In a shocking incident recently, an Indian Gaur was hunted and brutally butchered to pieces in Sirsi forest division, Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka. On a tip off, a gang of five hunters were apprehended by the Karnataka Forest Department when they were transporting the meat pieces and other parts of the Indian Gaur from a village in the forest area of Hulekal Range, Sirsi forest division, Uttar Kannada district.
According to forest officials as also activists in the Uttar Kannada district, a network of poachers is involved in regular hunting of Indian Gaur (Bos gauras) in the Sirsi forest division wherein local residents inform the poachers about the movement of the mega-herbivores.
Despite being listed as” Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List and protected, this mega-herbivore is being targeted for their meat in the Sirsi Division by poachers in the last decade.
On receiving specific information about poaching of an Indian Gaur in the forest area, Survey No: 226 of Mathadevala village, Hulekal Range, Janamane sub-division, Sirsi division, forest officials swung into action and arrested one offender on April 29, 2026 in the evening hours while the other four offenders are absconding.
Under the guidance of DCF Sirsi division, Sandeep Hindurao Suryavanshi, ACF Janamane Sub-division, Harish C N, and RFO Hulekal Range, Shivanand S Ningani, one person was arrested. The first accused has been arrested while the remaining four accused are still absconding. The search operations are still continuing in the Uttar Kannada district.
The first accused – 44-years-old Abdul Salim Abdulrabbu Saba, a coolie and resident of Sodepete, Mathadevala, village, Sonda taluk, Sirsi division, Uttara Kannada district was arrested. The accused has been booked and held under various provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
All the other four accused in the hunting and brutal killing case of the Indian Gaur are Sodepete residents, hailing from Mathadevala village, Sonda taluk, Sirsi, Uttar Kannada district. The four offenders who are absconding include: Hasan Moulali Benne Saba, age-30, painter, Hanna Abdul Rabbu Saba, age-37, labourer, Salim Usmansaba, age-32, a labourer, and Abdul Karim Abdulsalamsaba, age-35, also a labourer.
According to Shivanand S Ningani, Hulekal Range Forest Officer, in connection with this hunting case, the remains and meat pieces of the Indian Gaur, plastic bags & head battery bells have been seized. Further, the samples of the remains of the Indian Gaur have been sent to the Forensic Sciences Lab to elicit the opinion of K V Prashanth, Veterinary Officer, Sirsi & Madhusudhan, Forensic Science Expert.
Over seven feet tall, the Indian Gaur is the largest and heaviest extant bovine species in the world with males often weighing between 1,000-1,500 kg while some individuals exceeding the weight of 1,700 kg. These mega-herbivores are found in large numbers in Uttar Kannada and parts of Shivamogga districts.
Although, Indian Gaur is legally protected and hunting them is prohibited in India – hunting continues unabated. It is listed as a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, providing the highest level of legal protection against hunting and habitat destruction.