Director of the Phuoc Binh National Park Nguyen Cong Van on October 1, 2020 said the provincial departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Science and Technology have discussed solutions to save the gaurs in Phuoc Binh commune in Bac Ai district.

In the immediate time, the national park will advance money to fatten the gaurs and give them medical care. After that, it will discuss long-term solutions with agencies.

Luu Xuan Vinh, chair of Ninh Thuan People's Committee, told reporters the gaurs will have medical examination and will be provided sufficient nutrients to save them from starvation.

The provincial science and technology departments and the Phuoc Binh National Park have been asked to work with the gaur management unit and suggest reasonable solutions to manage the group of gaurs for scientific research.

The gaurs are the results of mating between purebred male gaursthat strayed from the fold with female cows in Phuoc Binh commune in Bac Ai district 10 years ago.

The Phuoc Binh National Park in 2008-2012 confirmed that a male gaur (Bos gaurus) appeared in the park and went to the fields to mate with domestic cows. The result was 20 calves which looked like the ‘father’.

Realizing this was a rare opportunity to replicate gaur genetic resources, in 2013-2015, the departments of Science and Technology of the two provinces of Ninh Thuan and Lam Dong set up a project on researching genetic assessment and evaluation of crossbred gaur’s fertility (F1).

The research project proved that the F1 crossbred gaurs were the offspring of wild gaur and domestic cows.

Van told VietNamNet that the total cost to preserve the genetic resources was about VND3 billion.

In September 2019, the crossbred gaurs were transferred to the Lam Dong Center of Science and Technology Application under the provincial Science and Technology Department for management and care.

For the last year, Nguyen Dinh Tich, a man in Quang Son commune of Ninh Son district, has been paid to take care of the gaurs.

Tich said his task is carrying straw and pumping water to feed the gaurs. When the straw runs out, he calls the Lam Dong Center of Science and Technology Application, which transfers money to buy more straw. 

Thai An

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