Goemkarponn Desk
CANAOCNA: An Indian Bison (Gaur) attacked a Car with three occupants while driving on road at Amone (Poinguinim) on Friday afternoon.
Aniket Velip with two more occupants driving his Car were travelling from Amone towards Canacona, when all of a sudden a large Gaur coming from nowhere appeared on the road and charged on the moving Car head-on. Velip on seeing the Gaur charging at his Car slowed down, and after attacking the Car on one-side, the Gaur came on the front side and attacked the bonnet. As the Car was stopped the Gaur came in front and attacked in the front, climbed on the Car and sat on the Bonnet. Unable to gauge the situation, the terrified occupants including Velip on the wheels, remained inside and after observing that the Gaur refused to come down, moved the Car, after which the Gaur injured by this time and bleeding came down and disappeared into the forest cover. The car was immediately moved away from the area, parked aside and people in the locality were alerted.
According to Velip, his Car’s front windshield glass got broken, and Car’s Bonnet and two doors on one side were damaged. Due to the attack two of the side doors were not opening. The Care was later shifted to a garage for repairs.
The incident happened after 2 pm on Friday.
An village elder speaking to media informed that it’s not unusual to see Gaurs and other wild animals in the locality, but since a few a months, people returned to the village in late hours (after 9 pm) informs of sighting a huge Bison standing in the middle of the road and staring menacingly at the people, but slowly moves away whenever a Vehicle or 2-wheeler approaches.
‘It was hardly sighted anywhere during the daytime. The Guar crosses the path with several people after 9 pm in the night, it never attacked anyone till today’s incident where it attacked by charging at the moving car during day time itself. Forest people (who normally take rounds in groups of 7-8 people in their jeeps) taking rounds during the night have been regularly sighting this Gaur as well. The Gaur is known to go its own way and Forest Jeep proceeds on its journey.’
Meanwhile, as the Gaur after damaging the Car has also injured himself and was seen heavily bleeding with some cuts, locals are worried that the injured wild Bovine may now attack people travelling on roads in the locality. ‘Yes, it’s a worrisome situation now, the injured animal may attack us. There is no bus service to our locality and we had to either walk or travel on motorbikes to go for work, drop our children to school, or upto the point where the school bus arrives. We only hope the injured Gaur is safe and sound and has moved from our locality.
Incidentally, Amone ward which is part of the revenue village of Poinguinim Panchayat comes under the wildlife protected area of Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary along with a few more areas like Marlim-Tirval and others.