Goa: Bison rescued from Savarde well

KERI/PANAJI: An adult male gaur (Indian bison) that was reported struggling in an uncovered well in a private property near Savarde, Sattari, was rescued by the forest department on Thursday.
The gaur was trapped in a six-feet-deep open well, with only its head and upper body above the water surface.“Since the well was around nine feet deep and the ground soil was loose and muddy, it was not able to climb out,” a forest official said.
The North Goa forest division’s special squad was mobilised, which used a JCB machine to break open one side of the well to make space for the gaur to climb out. After a 10 minute operation, the wild beast was rescued and walked towards nearby forest area, officials said. Range forest officer Deepak Tandel said, “We are monitoring the movement of the bison as it was under stress.”
In many areas of Sattari, bisons have been entering and damaging plantations of banana, cashew and other crops. Keri range officer Vivek Gaonkar said, “Our staff have been patrolling at night and taking steps to restraint the movement of bisons.”
Vitthal Shelke, a wildlifer,said, “Due to the increasing heat, bisons are searching for water bodies.”