Close-up of a herd of hybrid bulls: Strong, far from the "skinny" information online

On August 16, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, an officer of the Management Board of Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park (Khanh Hoa province), head of the project "Conservation and sustainable use of F1 hybrid gaur gene sources between domestic cows and male gaurs in the period 2021-2025", affirmed that the herd of 11 hybrid gaurs here is growing healthily, with a muscular physique, completely different from the "weak, skinny" image spreading on social networks.

A healthy hybrid bull at Nui Chua National Park - Phuoc Binh today

On August 16, speaking with SGGP reporters, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, an officer of the Management Board of Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park ( Khanh Hoa province), head of the project "Conservation and sustainable use of F1 hybrid gaur gene sources between domestic cows and male gaurs in the period 2021 - 2025", affirmed that the herd of 11 hybrid gaurs being cared for and raised in a semi-wild environment is very healthy and has a muscular physique.

A healthy hybrid bull at Nui Chua National Park - Phuoc Binh today

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, after being transferred to the Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park for management, the herd of hybrid gaurs, including 9 F1 generation hybrids, 1 F2 generation hybrid and 1 F3 generation hybrid, was cared for with a full nutritional regimen, regular veterinary check-ups, and there was absolutely no "sickness" or "skinny bones" as the images circulating on social networks in recent days. The images of the herd of gaurs appearing on social networks were old, from many years ago.

Hybrid bulls are being raised in a semi-wild environment.

Currently, to take care of the hybrid gaur herd, Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park has hired 2 people to directly take care of them and conduct regular health checks. The monthly cost of taking care of the gaur herd is only about 8 million VND, and less than 100 million VND per year.

A hybrid bull in Nui Chua National Park - Phuoc Binh

A representative of Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park also informed that the research on breeding this herd of gaurs is still being carried out, however the results have not been as expected. "There have been some cases of gaurs mating with domestic cattle, but due to the genetic factor of "same father, different mother", the success rate is very rare", a representative of Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park shared.

During the period 2009-2015, in the buffer zone of Phuoc Binh National Park (now Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park), people repeatedly recorded a male gaur regularly appearing, joining the herd with domestic cows and mating with female cows.

Hybrid gaurs graze in semi-wild environment

To date, the farmers’ cow herd in the area has given birth to more than 20 suspected bull-cross calves. These calves grow faster than domestic cattle of the same age. In terms of appearance, they have no shoulder hump or navel, small heads, wide and slightly concave foreheads, V-shaped faces, sharp horns and develop early.

When born, hybrid calves have yellowish-brown or grayish-brown fur, clearly different from domestic cow calves. After 3-4 months, the fur gradually turns dark brown, with yellow hair on the top of the head; some individuals have white hair on all four legs, from the elbow down. This physical characteristics and fur color are similar to those of gaurs.

The herd of hybrid bulls is currently being directly cared for by two people.

Previously, the project "Research on genetic identification and evaluation of the development potential of F1 hybrid cattle between gaur (Bos gaurus) and domestic cattle (Bos taurus)" was carried out to accurately determine the genetic origin, analyze the chromosome karyotype, and monitor the growth and reproductive potential of the F1 hybrid cattle herd.

After the project ended, the entire herd of hybrid gaurs was handed over to Nui Chua - Phuoc Binh National Park for management, continuing to implement the project "Conservation and sustainable use of F1 hybrid gaur gene sources between domestic cows (Bos taurus) and male gaurs (Bos gaurus) in the period 2021-2025" .

The project's goal is to strictly preserve the rare F1 and F2 generation hybrid cattle herd, moving towards forming a hybrid gaur conservation area, combining scientific research with study tours and biodiversity conservation education .

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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/can-canh-dan-bo-tot-lai-vam-vo-khac-xa-thong-tin-gay-tro-xuong-tren-mang-post808742.html