Introduction Cattle species in the genus Bos can be subdivided into wild and domestic types. Wild cattle comprise Bos gaurus (gaur) and Bos javanicus (banteng), while domestic cattle comprise Bos indicus (zebu cattle) and Bos taurus (taurine cattle) (Syed-Shabthar et al., 2013). In Malaysia, all four species can be found throughout the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. Wild Malayan gaurs (Bos gaurus hubbacki) can only be found in Peninsular Malaysia and wild banteng (Bos javanicus lowi) can only be found in Sabah, a part of Borneo (Medway, 1983; Wilson and Reeder, 2005). Both species of domestic cattle can be found in the Malay Peninsula and Borneo. The selembu is a hybrid cattle bred in Malaysia by crossbreeding wild Malayan gaur with domestic cattle (zebu and/or taurine) (Mamat-Hamidi et al., 2009). In other countries, gaur has been domesticated and produces fertile offspring called gayal (Bos frontalis). The Bali cattle is a domestic form of wild banteng originally bred on Bali Island, Indonesia (Mohamad et al., 2012). Three subspecies of gaurs are generally recognized: Bos gaurus gaurus, found in India, southern Nepal, and Bhutan; Bos gaurus laosiensis, distributed in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia; and Bos gaurus hubbacki, which exists only in Peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand (Duckworth et al., 2008). The Malayan gaur, locally known as 'seladang' , can be found in several states, including Pahang, Kelantan, Kedah, Perak, and Terengganu (Yusof, 1981). According to Sahir (2001), there are about 500 remaining individuals in Malaysia. Wild populations of gaur have declined significantly in this country (Conry, 1989). It has been declared as a "Totally Protected" animal under Wildlife Protection Act 76/72, Schedule I (Wild Animals) by the Malaysian government. Since 1982, in situ conservation efforts for the Malayan gaur by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks have included steps to prevent its extinction in response to the growing concern that survival in the wild may be threatened by severe habitat reduction (Sahir, 2001).
