RESQ Charitable Trust

Something felt different that morning. Coffee in hand, a video came in and changed the course of our day.

On a busy highway near Satara stood a massive Gaur, the largest bovine in the world. Majestic. Muscular. Completely out of place. He looked lost, a gentle giant stranded in a world of speeding vehicles and blaring horns.

Then everything shifted. The bull charged a villager cycling across the road. No provocation. Just a lone male, cornered by a world he did not understand. The man was gored, horns piercing his rib cage. Alive, but critical. We could not risk another life. Not human. Not animal.

The Satara Forest Department mobilised immediately and our RESQ CT team raced 130 kms to meet them on ground. Eight of us. Tranq kit, drones with thermal imaging, the ATLAS Wildlife Ambulance. By the time we arrived, the Gaur had vanished into dense sugarcane fields.

What followed was hours of painstaking, coordinated work between our team and the Satara Forest Department officers and staff on ground. Drone thermals tracked his heat signature through the dark. Forest officers and our field team formed silent human corridors. The vet was positioned in the bucket of an earth mover, waiting.

Then, under a bright moon, he stepped out.
One tonne of muscle and moonlight.

We held our breath as he walked exactly where we had hoped he would. A few seconds later the veterinarians voice crackled through the wireless. “I have taken the shot... Ten minutes to sedation… Stay calm.”

Ten minutes later he was down. Vitals checked, eyes covered, loaded carefully onto our rescue glide and into the ATLAS. A reversal drug administered. A long drive through the night.

At sunrise, we reached a wildlife sanctuary. When the doors opened and cool morning air rushed in, he stirred, snorted, and walked out into the green. As he disappeared into the wild where he belongs, we finally breathed.

The wild does not want conflict. It wants home. All we can do is give them a second chance, and be grateful for the partnerships that make it possible.

Maharashtra Forest Department, Satara x RESQ CT

Hit by a vehicle, fighting for life, and unknowingly carrying hope. A critically injured striped hyena mother survived a road accident and intensive treatment, while her newborn cub, born against the odds, received round-the-clock neonatal care. She has now returned to the grasslands. Her cub remains under rehabilitation, growing stronger each dayand working steadily towards going back to the wild when he’s ready.

Maharashtra Forest Department x RESQ CT

RESQ Atlas is a registered wildlife ambulance designed as a multi-species, multi-utility transport vehicle engineered for the safe movement of wildlife. Purpose-built for conservation operations, it supports translocation, emergency response, and long-distance transport requirements across varied terrain.

The vehicle is equipped with hydraulic and manual operational ramps, dual entry points, multiple internal and external CCTV monitoring systems, and a fully padded interior to minimise injury risk during transit. Advanced cooling and ventilation systems ensure thermal comfort and air circulation, while adjustable partitions allow flexible configuration for varied operational needs, including mass translocations. Integrated lighting, secure anchorage points, a powerful winch, and strategically placed top and side hatches support safe loading, handling, and monitoring throughout the journey.

RESQ Atlas is operated by a trained, dedicated driver and maintained to rigorous standards of welfare, safety, and operational readiness. It enhances wildlife management capacity by providing a reliable, scientifically informed transport solution that prioritises animal welfare and supports the objectives of our Forest Departments and conservation partners.