Restoring the Gaur to Sri Lanka

The news item “India considers Sri Lankan proposal for translocating ‘Indian bisons’” in the Daily Mirror recently (correctly) attributes this initiative in part to a proposal made by me. So that this is accurately understood. however, I think it is important that the context of this proposal be clarified.  

The fact that the gaur, the largest species among the world’s wild cattle, once existed in Sri Lanka came up in a chance conversation I had about three months ago with our High Commissioner in India, Mr Milinda Moragoda. The wealth of place names in Sri Lanka that begin with the prefix ‘gavara’ (the Sinhala name for a gaur) suggests that the species was once widespread in the island. For example, Gawaragane, Gawaragiriya, Gawarammana, Gawarawela and Gawaratenna. This theory is backed up also by archaeological remains in ancient caves in the island, in which gaur bones often crop up. By the end of the 17th century, however, the species appears to have been extirpated in Sri Lanka. No one knows why. As a result, despite the prominence of the gaur in Sri Lanka’s culture and heritage, and its obvious place within the island’s spectacular biodiversity, few Sri Lankans have set eyes on a gaur.   

The gaur was the last of the large mammals to become extinct (more correctly, extirpated) in our country. I told Mr Moragoda that it would be wonderful if one day Sri Lankans could have the opportunity to see these magnificent wild cattle once more in our country. More practically, I asked whether it might be possible to persuade the Government of India to consider the possibility of helping the Department of Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka to establish and maintain a captive herd of gaur, perhaps at the Pinnawela Zoo.  

As a scientific and cultural collaboration between India and Sri Lanka, I felt this could be an immensely valuable initiative. After all, pretty much the entirety of Sri Lanka’s biodiversity is derived from India’s. Such a project, however, would be unique in the India-Sri Lanka relationship, and I felt (and still feel) that the chances of success would be very low indeed. Mr Moragoda therefore made an informal inquiry from his counterparts in New Delhi whether, if such a request were made by the Government of Sri Lanka, it might be considered favourably by the Government of India. That is where the idea stands at present.  

If the Indian authorities indicate that they would welcome a proposal, the next step would be for a formal intergovernmental request to be made, through Sri Lanka’s Department of Zoological Gardens and other relevant institutions. It would require a feasibility study to demonstrate that we can successfully manage a herd of gaur here, perhaps with the long-term objective of establishing a semi-captive herd in an enclosed setting in Sri Lanka. But those are decisions for conservation agencies to make in future decades. For the present, what I think most nature lovers in Sri Lanka would like to see is a herd of gaur in a captive setting in a zoo such as Pinnawela. After all, the gaur was, after the elephant, Sri Lanka’s largest land mammal. It remains to be seen, however, whether a herd could be sustained by captive breeding, which would require continuous collaboration with India so as to maintain genetic diversity.   

I have seen it mentioned that my proposal was to reintroduce (‘translocate’) gaur to the wild in Sri Lanka. I do not believe such a reintroduction can be made safely in the foreseeable future. Gaur can be dangerous animals and given the problems Sri Lanka is having with human-elephant conflict, this is certainly inadvisable at the present time. However, should it be possible to maintain and grow a captive herd in a zoo setting, the next step could be the establishment of a captive herd in a more natural, but still confined, setting. A release “to the wild”, however, would be irresponsible: the demography of Sri Lanka has changed too much for this to be feasible or safe. Such a release is, therefore, out of the question.  

There may be those who believe that given Sri Lanka’s present economic woes, initiatives such as this may be little more than irrelevant distractions. Of course, I’m the first to acknowledge that we have urgent and pressing economic and social problems. Sri Lanka has already benefitted immensely from the excellent diplomatic prowess Mr Moragoda has displayed as High Commissioner in New Delhi. Should the Indian government indicate that it would view a request from Sri Lanka favourably, I would regard it as a diplomatic coup, a cause for celebration. After all, the gaur was last seen by Sri Lankans only in the reign of King Rajasinghe II, more than 350 years ago. How wonderful it would be to see this species restored to Sri Lanka. After all, it was India that gave us Buddhism; why not a few gaurs as well?