Maha: Bison strays into residential area in Pune; rescued

The forest team used tranquilisers and managed to rescue the bison around 1 pm, another forest official said.As the animal has some injuries on its mouth, it will be given medical aid before being released into a forest, the official said..

A gaur (Indian bison) strayed into a residential area in Maharashtra's Pune city on Wednesday morning, causing panic among residents, officials said. Later, the animal was rescued after about five hours.

As it has some injuries, it would be given medical aid before being released into a forest, they said. The gaur, also called the Indian bison, has been listed as 'vulnerable' on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List since 1986.

Around 7.30 am, some locals spotted the animal in Mahatma residential society in the plush Kothrud area and alerted the forest department, he said. Prima facie, the animal was suspected to have ventured into the residential society from Mulshi forest area located nearby, Divisional Conservator of Forests Rahul Patil said.

A team of forest personnel was rushed to the spot and police personnel was also deployed in the area to control the crowd which came out to see the gaur. ''The forest team used tranquilizers and managed to rescue the bison around 1 pm,'' another forest official said.

As the animal has some injuries on its mouth, it will be given medical aid before being released into a forest, the official said.