They are increasingly entering human habitats in search of food and water, much to the concern of people living in villages abutting forests. Elephants and wild cats straying out of Karnataka's forests has been common over the last decade, but the great bull is a relatively new entrant, said officials of Bandipur National Park, which has a significant gaur population.

"I have no clue why these gaurs are venturing out of the wild," said Praveen Bhargav, managing trustee of Wildlife First, a conservation advocacy organization.

B J Hosmath, principal chief conservator of forests, wildlife, said they are coming out in search of food and water. "Due to acute drought conditions, they are showing up in non-forest areas. Most waterbodies in forests have dried up due to deficient rain and the extended dry spell.We are making arrangements to provide water for them by digging small ponds and borewells, but they are still not sufficient."

Instances of wild gaurs straying into villages of Kodagu, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar, Shivamogga and Belagavi have been reported during the last six months.Though there has been no human casualty, there are reports of them attacking cattle and other domesticated animals and raiding agricultural fields.

There have been a few incidents of bisons getting killed in accidents. A few months ago, one was killed when it was hit by a bus near AneChowkur on the Mysuru-Virajpet highway in Kodagu. Those in the bus sustained grievous injuries as the vehicle toppled after hitting the bison.

Though forest officials say there are waterholes for animals inside forests, wildlife enthusiasts point to the need to develop green grasslands so that wild gaurs stay inside the protected zones. S N Girish, a wildlife enthusiast, said this is the direct fallout of massive deforestation and decreasingerratic rainfall in Malnad region (Western Ghats) which has a thick forest cover. This, he said, has led to dams and waterbodies in and around forests drying up, forcing animals to flee.