Stocktake Sale on now: wide range of books at up to 70% off!
Register      Login
Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > WR > WR24051
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 52(5)

Genetic characteristics of translocated Indian bison (Bos gaurus gaurus) from the core area of the Kanha Tiger Reserve to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in central India

Puneet Pandey A B # , Sujeet Kumar Singh C # , Rahul De https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4518-9607 A D , Reeta Sharma A E , B. Navaneethan A , M.P. Manjrekar A , R. Vishwakarma https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0804-3641 A , J. S. Chauhan F , H. S. Negi F , H. S. Pabla F , Aseem Shrivastava F , P. Nigam A , K. Sankar A , Bilal Habib https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0040-6214 A and S. P. Goyal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2284-8796 A *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehradun 248001, India.

B Conservation Genome Resource Bank for Korean Wildlife (CGRB), Building 85-812, Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine, Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, South Korea.

C Amity Institute of Forestry and WIldlife, Amity University, Noida 201313, Uttar Pradesh, India.

D Department of Biological Sciences Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA.

E Royal Rotterdam Zoological Gardens, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

F Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, Bhopal 462001, India.

* Correspondence to: goyalsp@wii.gov.in

# Shared first authorship

Handling Editor: Catherine Collins

Wildlife Research 52, WR24051 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR24051
Submitted: 9 April 2024  Accepted: 17 April 2025  Published: 13 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing

Abstract

Context

The Indian bison or gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus), one of the three extant subspecies, was once widely distributed. Gaur populations have significantly declined throughout India owing to poaching and other human pressures. The reintroduction of individuals is a standard tool for restoring a species population. The gaur population was declared locally extinct in the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR), central India, in 1998. Therefore, the Indian Government decided to rebuild its population by translocating individuals from the Kanha Tiger Reserve (KTR) in central India. Genetics has been an integral part of ensuring population viability for a species; however, there is a lack of studies on wild gaur of KTR and the implications for translocations.

Aim

We investigated the utility of bovine microsatellites for the genetic assessment of reintroduced gaur population in KTR.

Methods

We used blood samples from 19 gaur individuals belonging to two subpopulations within the core area of the KTR, which were collected under the gaur reintroduction plan to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (BTR) in central India.

Key results

We observed moderate genetic diversity (Ho = 0.58), a large proportion of unrelated individuals (71–78%), a lack of population structuring, no indication of inbreeding. This suggests the existence of non-random mating and the presence of connectivity between the two subpopulations.

Conclusions

Our results suggest the presence of a panmictic gaur gene pool because of their ability to disperse across subpopulations through the undisturbed, inviolate, high-quality habitat of the core area of the KTR.

Implications

The study has the following observation implications (i) regular monitoring of the habitat connectivity of the gaur to ensure nonrandom mating in KTR, (ii) retaining the founder genetic diversity considering the baseline genetic characteristics data of the reintroduced population of BTR, and (iii) use of optimized and harmonized bovid microsatellites to assess the population genetic structure of gaur across different geographical regions in the country using comparable data for augmentation of BTR population in future.

Keywords: central Indian landscape, cross-species amplification, genetic diversity, heterozygosity, microsatellite, population genetic structure, reintroduction.

References

Ahrestani FS, Prins HHT (2011) Age and sex determination of gaur Bos gaurus (Bovidae). Mammalia 75, 151-155.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Allendorf FW (1986) Genetic drift and the loss of alleles versus heterozygosity. Zoo Biology 5, 181-190.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Amos W, Worthington Wilmer J, Fullard K, Burg TM, Croxall JP, Bloch D, Coulson T (2001) The influence of parental relatedness on reproductive success. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences 268, 2021-2027.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Atkulwar A, Farah S, Gadhikar Y, Baig M (2020) Mitochondrial DNA diversity in wild gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus): evidence from extant and historical samples. Mitochondrial DNA Part B 5(2), 1556-1560.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Ballou JD, Lacy RC (1995) Identifying genetically important individuals for management of genetic variation in pedigreed populations. In ‘Population management for survival and recovery’. (Ed. JD Ballou) pp. 76–111. (Columbia University Press)

Botstein D, White RL, Skolnick M, Davis RW (1980) Construction of genetic linkage maps in man using restriction fragment length polymorphisms. American Journal of Human Genetics 32, 314-331.
| Google Scholar |

Byers O, Hedges S, Seal US (1995) Asian wild cattle conservation assessment and management plan workshop working document. IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, Apple Valley, MN, USA. Available at https://www.cbsg.org/sites/cbsg.org/files/documents/Asian %20Wild%20Cattle%20 CAMP%201995.pdf

Champion HG, Seth SK (1968) ‘A revised survey of the forest types of India.’ Manager of publications, Government of India.

Chandiramani SS (1984) Biology of the gaur (Bos gaurus) in Kanha National Park. PhD Thesis. Bhopal University, Bhopal, India.

Choudhury A (2002) Distribution and conservation of the gaur Bos gaurus in the Indian Subcontinent. Mammal Review 32, 199-226.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Corbet GB, Hill JE (1992) ‘The mammals of the Indomalayan region: a systematic review. Vol. 488.’ (Oxford University Press: Oxford)

Cornuet JM, Luikart G (1996) Description and power analysis of two tests for detecting recent population bottlenecks from allele frequency data. Genetics 144, 2001-2014.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

De R, Sharma R, Davidar P, Arumugam N, Sedhupathy A, Puyravaud J-P, Selvan KM, Rahim PPA, Udayraj S, Parida J, Digal DK, Kanagaraj R, Kakati K, Nigam P, Williams AC, Habib B, Goyal SP (2021a) Pan-India population genetics signifies the importance of habitat connectivity for wild Asian elephant conservation. Global Ecology and Conservation 32, e01888.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

De R, Kumar V, Ankit K, Khan KA, Kumar H, Kumar N, Habib B, Goyal SP (2021b) Cross-amplification of ungulate microsatellite markers in the endemic Indian antelope or blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) for population monitoring and conservation genetics studies in south Asia. Molecular Biology Reports 48(6), 5151-5160.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Denniston C (1978) Small population size and genetic diversity: implications for endangered species. In ‘Endangered birds: management techniques for preserving threatened species’. (Ed. SA Temple) pp. 281–289. (University of Wisconsin Press: Madison, WI, USA)

Duckworth JW, Steinmetz R, Timmins RJ, Pattanavibool A, Than Zaw, Do Hedges S, (2008) Bos gaurus. In ’IUCN 2013. IUCN red list of threatened species. Version 2013.2’. Available at www.iucnredlist.org [Accessed 24 January 2014]

Duengkae P, Ariyaraphong N, Tipkantha W, Jairak W, Baicharoen S, Nguyen DHM, Korboon O, Singchat W, Panthum T, Ahmad SF, Kaewkhunjob E, Chaisonkhram C, Maikaew U, Muangmai N, Ieamsaard G, Sripiboon S, Paansri P, Suksavate W, Chaiyes A, Winitpornsawan S, Prayoon U, Sornsa T, Chokcharoen R, Buanual A, Siriaroonrat B, Utara Y, Srikulnath K (2022) Coincidence of low genetic diversity and increasing population size in wild gaur populations in the Khao Phaeng Ma non-hunting area, Thailand: a challenge for conservation management under human–wildlife conflict. PLoS ONE 17(8), e0273731.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Eiken HG, Andreassen RJ, Kopatz A, Bjervamoen SG, Wartiainen I, Tobiassen C, Knappskog PM, Aspholm PE, Smith ME, Aspi J (2009) Population data for 12 STR loci in northern European brown bear (Ursus arctos) and application of DNA profiles for forensic casework. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series 2, 273-274.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Ellerman JR, Morrison-Scott TCS (1951) ‘Checklist of Palaearctic and Indian Mammals, 1758 to 1946.’ (2nd edn., 1966). (British Museum (Natural History): London, UK)

Farah S, Atkulwar A, Nahid R, Gadhikar Y, Baig M (2021) Recent population expansion in wild gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) as revealed by microsatellite markers. Mammalian Biology 101(5), 695-707.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Fedorca A, Russo I-RM, Ionescu O, Ionescu G, Popa M, Fedorca M, Curtu AL, Sofletea N, Tabor GM, Bruford MW (2019) Inferring fine-scale spatial structure of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in the Carpathians prior to infrastructure development. Scientific Reports 9(1), 9494.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Gortari MJd, Freking BA, Kappes SM, Leymaster KA, Stone RT, Beattie CW, Crawford AM (1997) Extensive genomic conservation of cattle microsatellite heterozygosity in sheep. Animal Genetics 28, 274-290.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Groves CP, Grubb P (2011) ‘Ungulate taxonomy.’ (Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, MD, USA)

Hacker C, Atzeni L, Munkhtsog B, Munkhtsog B, Galsandorj N, Zhang Y, Liu Y, Buyanaa C, Bayandonoi G, Ochirjav M, Farrington JD, Jevit M, Zhang Y, Wu L, Cong W, Li D, Gavette C, Jackson R, Janecka JE (2023) Genetic diversity and spatial structures of snow leopards (Panthera uncia) reveal proxies of connectivity across Mongolia and northwestern China. Landscape Ecology 38(4), 1013-1031.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Hauser SS, Athrey G, Leberg PL (2021) Waste not, want not: microsatellites remain an economical and informative technology for conservation genetics. Ecology and Evolution 11, 15800-15814.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Jaenike J, Holt RD (1991) Genetic variation for habitat preference: evidence and explanations. The American Naturalist 137, S67-S90.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Jathanna D, Karanth KU, Johnsingh AJT (2003) Estimation of large herbivore densities in the tropical forests of southern India using distance sampling. Journal of Zoology 261, 285-290.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Jhala YV, Qureshi Q, Nayak AK (2020) Status of Tiger, co-predators and prey in India, 2018. National Tiger Conservation Authority, New Delhi and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

Jombart T (2008) adegenet: a R package for the multivariate analysis of genetic markers. Bioinformatics 24, 1403-1405.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Jombart T, Devillard S, Balloux F (2010) Discriminant analysis of principal components: a new method for the analysis of genetically structured populations. BMC Genetics 11, 94.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kalinowski ST, Wagner AP, Taper ML (2006) ML-RELATE: a computer program for maximum likelihood estimation of relatedness and relationship. Molecular Ecology Notes 6, 576-579.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kalinowski ST, Taper ML, Marshall TC (2007) Revising how the computer program CERVUS accommodates genotyping error increases success in paternity assignment. Molecular Ecology 16, 1099-1106.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kamalakkannan R, Bhavana K, Prabhu VR, Sureshgopi D, Singha HS, Nagarajan M (2020) The complete mitochondrial genome of Indian gaur, Bos gaurus, and its phylogenetic implications. Scientific Reports 10(1), 11936.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Kanoje RS (1999) Draft Management Plan: Wetlands of Kanha Tiger Reserve, International Course on Wetland Management. RIZA Wetland Advisory and Training Center, Lelystad, Netherlands.

Karanth KU, Stith BM (1999) Prey depletion as a critical determinant of tiger densities. In ‘Riding the Tiger: tiger conservation in human-dominated landscapes’. (Eds J Seidensticker, S Christie, P Jackson) pp. 100–113. (Cambridge University Press: Cambridge)

Karanth KU, Sunquist ME (1992) Population structure, density and biomass of large herbivores in the tropical forests of Nagarahole, India. Journal of Tropical Ecology 8(1), 21-35.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Karanth KU, Sunquist ME (1995) Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests. Journal of Animal Ecology 64, 439-450.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Langella O (2002) Population 1.2.28. Logiciel de génétique des populations. Laboratoire Populations, génétique et évolution, CNRS UPR 9034, Gif-sur-Yvette. Available at http://www.cnrs-gif.fr/pge/

Lorenzini R, Cabras P, Fanelli R, Carboni GL (2011) Wildlife molecular forensics: identification of the Sardinian mouflon using STR profiling and the Bayesian assignment test. Forensic Science International: Genetics 5, 345-349.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mai NTP, Diem NTH, Tung HT, Long LT (2023) The genetic relationship of Vietnamese gaurs assessed by mtDNA sequences. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 11(1), 07-12.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mills LS, Citta JJ, Lair KP, Schwartz MK, Tallmon DA (2000) Estimating animal abundance using noninvasive DNA sampling: promise and pitfalls. Ecological Applications 10(1), 283-294.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Morris DR, McWhorter TJ, Boardman WSJ, Simpson G, Wentzel J, Coetzee J, Du Plessis F, Moodley Y (2023) Gene flow connects key leopard (Panthera pardus) populations despite habitat fragmentation and persecution. Biodiversity and Conservation 32(3), 945-963.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mukesh , Sathyakumar S (2011) Eighteen polymorphic microsatellites for domestic pigeon Columba livia var. domestica developed by cross species amplification of chicken markers. Journal of Genetics 90, 86-89.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mukesh T, Rai ID, Mandhan RP, Sathyakumar S (2011) A panel of polymorphic microsatellite markers in Himalayan monal Lophophorus impejanus developed by cross-species amplification and their applicability in other Galliformes. European Journal of Wildlife Research 57, 983-989.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Mukherjee S, Mukherjee A, Kumar S, Verma H, Bhardwaj S, Togla O, Rajkhowa C (2022) Genetic characterization of endangered Indian Mithun (Bos frontalis), Indian Bison/Wild Gaur (Bos gaurus) and Tho-tho Cattle (Bos indicus) populations using SSR markers reveals their diversity and unique phylogenetic status. Diversity 14, 548.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Negi HS, Shukla R (2011) Tiger conservation plan for Kanha Tiger Reserve (2012–2022). Report for Kanha Tiger Reserve Forest Department, Mandla.

Nei M, Tajima F, Tateno Y (1983) Accuracy of estimated phylogenetic trees from molecular data. II. Gene frequency data. Journal of Molecular Evolution 19(2), 153-170.
| Crossref | Google Scholar | PubMed |

Nguyen TT, Genini S, Ménétrey F, Malek M, Vögeli P, Goe MR, Stranzinger G (2005) Application of bovine microsatellite markers for genetic diversity analysis of Swiss yak (Poephagus grunniens). Animal Genetics 36, 484-489.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Nguyen TT, Genini S, Bui LC, Voegeli P, Stranzinger G, Renard J-P, Maillard J-C, Nguyen BX (2007) Genomic conservation of cattle microsatellite loci in wild gaur (Bos gaurus) and current genetic status of this species in Vietnam. BMC Genetics 8(1), 77.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Nigam P, Mondol S, Habib B, Vishwakarma R, Nandwanshi VB, Bhati R, Annigeri BS (2022) Monitoring Reintroduced Gaur (Bos gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, Phase II, Extension (2018-22) – Final Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, India. (Tr. No.2022/23).

Page RDM (1996) TreeView: an application to display phylogenetic trees on personal computers. Computer Applications in the Biosciences 12, 357-358.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Pasha MKS, Sankar K, Qureshi Q, Areendran G (2004) Indian bison or gaur (Bos gaurus Lambert, 1804). ENVIS Bulletin 7, 91-102.
| Google Scholar |

Peakall R, Smouse PE (2006) GENALEX 6: genetic analysis in Excel. Population genetic software for teaching and research. Molecular Ecology Notes 6, 288-295.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Pitimol N, Srikosamatara S (2023) Population ecology and genetic study of gaur (Bos gaurus) in a small protected area in Thailand. Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity 24(6), 3369-3377.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Pritchard JK, Stephens M, Donnelly P (2000) Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data. Genetics 155, 945-959.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Qureshi Q, Saini S, Basu P, Gopal R, Raza R, Jhala YV (2014) Connecting tiger populations for long-term conservation. National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2014-02.

Ray P, Gangadharan S, Chattopadhyay M, Bashamboo A, Bhatnagar S, Malik PK, Ali S (1999) A bubaline-derived satellite DNA probe uncovers generic affinities of gaur with other bovids. Journal of Biosciences 24, 295-299.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rodgers WA, Panwar HS (1988) Planning a wildlife protected area network in India. 2 volumes. Project FO: IND/82/003. FAO, Dehradun, India.

Rosli MKA, Zakaria SS, Syed-Shabthar SMF, Zainal ZZ, Shukor MN, Mahani MC, et al. (2011) Phylogenetic relationships of Malayan gaur with other species of the genus Bos based on cytochrome b gene DNA sequences. Genetics and Molecular Research 10(1), 482-493.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Rousset F (2008) GENEPOP’007: a complete re-implementation of the GENEPOP software for Windows and Linux. Molecular Ecology Resources 8, 103-106.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Saltz JB, Nuzhdin SV (2014) Genetic variation in niche construction: implications for development and evolutionary genetics. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 29(1), 8-14.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Sankar K, Qureshi Q, Pasha MKS, Areendran G (2000) Ecology of gaur Bos gaurus in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Final Report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun.

Sankar K, Pabla HS, Patil CK, Nigam P, Qureshi Q, Navaneethan B, Manjreakar M, Virkar PS, Mondal K (2013) Home range, habitat use and food habits of re-introduced gaur (Bos gaurus gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, central India. Tropical Conservation Science 6(1), 50-69.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Sankar K, Nigam P, Navneethan B, Manjrekar M (2015) Monitoring Reintroduced Gaur (Bos gaurus) in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Final Report, Phase-I, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehra Dun.

Scandura M, Capitani C, Iacolina L, Marco A (2006) An empirical approach for reliable microsatellite genotyping of wolf DNA from multiple noninvasive sources. Conservation Genetics 7, 813-823.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Schaller GB (1967) ‘The deer and the tiger. A study of wildlife in India.’ (University of Chicago Press: Chicago, IL, USA)

Schmidt C, Dray S, Garroway CJ (2022) Genetic and species-level biodiversity patterns are linked by demography and ecological opportunity. Evolution 76(1), 86-100.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Singh SK, Mishra S, Aspi J, Kvist L, Nigam P, Pandey P, et al. (2015) Tigers of Sundarbans in India: is the population a separate conservation unit? PLoS ONE 10(4), e0118846.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Singh SK, Aspi J, Kvist L, Sharma R, Pandey P, Mishra S, et al. (2017) Fine-scale population genetic structure of the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in a human-dominated western Terai Arc Landscape, India. PLoS ONE 12(4), e0174371.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Slate J, Coltman DW, Goodman SJ, MacLean I, Pemberton JM, Williams JL (1998) Bovine microsatellite loci are highly conserved in red deer (Cervus elaphus), sika deer (Cervus nippon) and Soay sheep (Ovis aries). Animal Genetics 29, 307-315.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Tapio I, Tapio M, Li M-H, Popov R, Ivanova Z, Kantanen J (2010) Estimation of relatedness among non-pedigreed Yakutian cryo-bank bulls using molecular data: implications for conservation and breed management. Genetics Selection Evolution 42, 28.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Tkach K, Watson MJ (2023) Publication and use of genetic tools in conservation management applications – a systematic review. Journal of Applied Ecology 60, 1522-1536.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Valière N (2002) GIMLET: a computer program for analysing genetic individual identification data. Molecular Ecology Notes 2, 377-379.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Van Oosterhout C, Hutchinson WF, Wills DPM, Shipley P (2004) MICRO-CHECKER: software for identifying and correcting genotyping errors in microsatellite data. Molecular Ecology Notes 4, 535-538.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Vergara M, Basto MP, Madeira MJ, Gómez-Moliner BJ, Santos-Reis M, Fernandes C, Ruiz-González A (2015) Inferring population genetic structure in widely and continuously distributed carnivores: the stone marten (Martes foina) as a case study. PLoS ONE 10, e0134257.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Waits LP, Luikart G, Taberlet P (2001) Estimating the probability of identity among genotypes in natural populations: cautions and guidelines. Molecular Ecology 10, 249-256.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |

Woodruff DS (2001) Populations, species, and conservation genetics. In ‘Encyclopedia of biodiversity’. (Ed. SA Levin) pp. 811–829. (Elsevier) 10.1016/B0-12-226865-2/00355-2

Yeh FC, Yang RC, Boyle T (1999) POPGENE version 1.32. Microsoft windows-based freeware for publication genetic analysis. University of Alberta and the Centre for International Forestry Research, Edmonton, Canada. Available at www.ualberta.ca/~fyeh/

Yin Q, Ren Z, Wen X, Liu B, Song D, Zhang K, Dou H (2023) Assessment of population genetic diversity and genetic structure of the North Chinese leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) in fragmented habitats of the Loess Plateau, China. Global Ecology and Conservation 42, e02416.
| Crossref | Google Scholar |