Gaur (Bos gaurus).
Image: Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At a glance
- IUCN category
- VU · Vulnerable
- Animal group
- Mammals
- Population trend
- Decreasing
- FaunaHub record reviewed
- Checked against IUCN
- Matches source — IUCN's 2016 global assessment of Bos gaurus says VulnerableChecked 2026-10-09 against IUCN's Red List export published 2026-07-28 · assessment
Conservation overview
The gaur is the largest wild cattle species in the world, a massive, powerfully built bovine of Asian forests. It is assessed as Vulnerable.
Despite its size it is generally shy and lives in herds.
Range & habitat
Forests and grasslands of South and Southeast Asia.
Major threats
Threats below are drawn from the authoritative sources listed on this page. For the current, complete assessment, see the IUCN Red List.
- Hunting and poaching
- Habitat loss
- Diseases from domestic cattle
Why it matters
As the largest wild bovine and a major grazer-browser, the gaur shapes Asian forest and grassland ecosystems and is an important prey species for big cats.
Gallery
Gaur (Bos gaurus), India.
Image: This Photo was taken by Timothy A. Gonsalves. Feel free to use my photos, but please menti, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources
Sources for Gaur
- IUCN Red List — look up Gaur (authoritative status)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service