When a behemoth gaur, also known as an Indian Bison, was found caught in a trap, Cat Tien forest rangers immediately went into action and drew up a plan to rescue the animal. It was one of the most memorable experiences for forest rangers working at Cat Tien National Park in Dong Nai Province, located in southern Vietnam, according to Huynh Van Trung, deputy head of the forest ranger unit, who directly commanded the rescue. Five years ago, Trung got an urgent call from his colleagues. “We’ve found a trapped gaur. It’s too ferocious, and we cannot approach it,” his colleagues told him from the scene. The gaur is a large wild cattle species that is native to Southeast Asia. They are currently considered a vulnerable species, having gone extinct in Sri Lanka already. Trung coordinated with other rangers to come with him, 5km from the office. Before leaving, he brought along water, an anesthesia syringe and some tools to deconstruct the trap. However, these supplies proved incapable of helping the trapped animal. “The gaur was too big and violent," he recounted. "It weighed nearly a metric ton. "We had to stand 30 meters away while trying to find another solution, worrying it might attack us.” They decided to administer the anesthetic and give water to the gaur to make the trapped animal more comfortable while waiting for support from Dong Nai Province’s Forest Ranger Department. Suddenly, the gaur jerked off the cable tied around its limbs. Seeing the animal escape, the rangers ran and climbed up nearby trees. The gaur howled furiously and ran around. Seeing no one, it ran into the woods. “The one-in-a-blue-moon rescue took place from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm," Tung recalled. "Luckily, no one got hurt." Breathtaking rescues Trung said the forest ranger force at Cat Tien National Park was in charge of managing and protecting the woods as well as preventing loggers from chopping trees and hunting wild animals. Rescuing trapped …
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