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The herd of crossed bulls in a state of starvation.- Photo: M.TRAN
This 11-headed crossbreed cow is an asset of a state-level scientific research project that is being kept in Bac Ray 2 village (Phuoc Binh commune, Bac Ai district, Ninh Thuan province) in a state of starvation and exhaustion. .
Gaur father is dead
From 2009 to early 2015, in Bac Ray 2 village, the buffer zone of Phuoc Binh National Park, there was a bull that appeared regularly in the rainy season (June to September). These bulls join the farmer’s herd of cows and feed on the meadows throughout the forest. This bull is around 1.7m tall, over 2m long and weighs around 1 ton.
Mr. Nguyen Van Chuan, a resident of the area where many cows are crossbred gaurs and domestic cows, recounted: “The gaur crosses the field, approaches the cow gently and all the cows become friends. The bulls in the area did not dare to go as far as the gaur had gone into their territory, each time the bulls devoured the blood and roared at the fence, creating a terrifying sound for the family pets. I live near a meadow. I have this tempting bull and my chest is pierced. “
Before dying of old age in early 2015, this bull was identified by scientists who mated with 20 cows, giving birth to 20 cross offspring (F1), both male and female.
In early 2012, the Department of Science and Technology (S&T) of the three provinces of Ninh Thuan, Lam Dong and Khanh Hoa agreed to buy 10 mongrel gaurs (5 males, 5 females) from the people and create breeding areas with Habitat of Gaur to conduct genetic identification research and assess the developmental capacity of gaur and domestic (F1) cattle
The task of the project is to develop a herd of cows between gaur and domestic cows, creating a basis for forming a new breed of high value in the livestock industry.
Scientists carry out a state-level research project “Exploitation and Development of Rare Bovine Genetic Resources in Forest Areas Bordering 3 Ninh Thuan – Lam Dong – Khanh Hoa Provinces”. This work is chaired by the Lam Dong Province Science and Technology Application Center, Mr. Le Xuan Tham (former director of the Lam Dong Province Science and Technology Department) is in charge of the issue. After that, Khanh Hoa province withdrew from the project.
The research team determined that the gaur belongs to the Southeast Asian gaur group (Bos gaurus), which is very aggressive. Aggression is second only to the tiger. During the research process, the F1 cross cow gave birth to an F2 hybrid that was female. When the project ended in November 2019, the 11 gaurs were hired by the Lam Dong Province Science and Technology Application Center to continue to hold Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh until now.
Finished project, Cow herds are bare bones
Mr Vinh said that he was hired to raise gaur herds for more than 2 years, each month he received a salary of 4 million VND. Their daily job is to remove 8 packages of dry straw and pump water for the gaurs to eat and drink. Previously, the project rented 2 ha of land for pasture and an open-air barn for the cows to travel, but later, people took back the land, only borrowing 500m2 to make stables.
Mr. Vinh said that due to being held in captivity for a long time, the herd of cows had weak legs, laziness to move, and muscles had shrunk. Compared to the plump, tall, striated look of the cow herd we witnessed in early 2017, hybrid gaurs are now like “corpses.” “I also want to let them out and let them go like a cow to be healthy, to eat fresh grass, but if it is wrong, I don’t know how to accept it. Mr. Vinh added that each month, in addition to sending less money to buy grass, there are also few people from the project who visit these rare cows.
Mr. Nguyen Nhu Chuong, Director of the Lam Dong Province Science and Technology Application Center, admitted that the cow herd was much thinner compared to the time of the study.
Mr. Chuong explained, “Upon completion of the project, in addition to proper acceptance procedures, we will carry out delivery procedures. The Lam Dong Province People’s Committee has a policy of handing over the cows to the Provincial People’s Committee of Ninh Thuan for its management. Exploiting, continuing the investigation, the Ninh Thuan Provincial People’s Committee also issued a written agreement, however, after a year, the Lam Dong and Ninh Thuan Provinces People’s Committees have not delivered .
In the meantime, although we have no funds, we have deducted a limited amount of savings from the center to continue raising cows. Every month we hire people to grow and buy straw for 10 million, including 200 packages of straw. A month ago, when I received the information that the cows were starving, I drove the bran to feed the cows.
Mr. Chuong added: “We take responsibility for ineffective and lax handling, causing the cow herd to become noticeably thinner at the end of the study, waiting to be handed over to other agencies for handling according to regulations. “.
Testicular gaur still
According to the Lam Dong Province Department of Science and Technology, the cow greets the forest in a residential area, mates with a series of domestic cows and creates a descendant of the F1 generation that died in 2015. When this gaur died, two Separated testes are stored under favorable conditions in two different scientific facilities, which can be used with artificial insemination or further research on Vietnamese gaurs can be developed.
According to Tuoi Tre’s research, in addition to the 10 animals purchased for research, the remaining F1 gaurs have been sold to dealers. Mr. Nguyen Van Chuan’s family kept 2 males – females, these two mated with domestic cows to produce 2 cross F2 gaurs, including 1 male and 1 female. Currently, the F3 cross bull has appeared in the house of Mr. Chuan, who is a bull.
“Fatten” before transferring for the national park
On the same day, Mr. Nguyen Nhu Chuong said that he returned to Bac Ray 2 to inspect and restore the health of the cows to deliver them to Phuoc Binh National Park in accordance with the decision of the Lam Dong Province People’s Committee.
The cows will be cared for before being handed over to Phuoc Binh National Park – Photo: MINH TRAN
According to information from researchers on the subject, to ensure that the cow herd is healthy, creating a premise for the next investigation, it is necessary to breed according to the standard with adequate raw and refined feed, with veterinary care. and be active every day. This regime requires 50 million VND / month.
