Thirty-eight-year old Kulwinder Singh runs the Baba Gau Hira Hospital, the only 'cow hospital' in Punjab. Amid tight regulations regarding sale of ageing cattle, the plight of cows that are past their prime is abysmal in Punjab. Farmers looking for ways to get rid of cattle they have no use for have been known to attack the cattle with acid or swords, or burn them with matchsticks, Singh told The Indian Express.
Some even have pepper applied in their eyes and udders. Each month we rescue at least 60-70 such cows.
Singh talks of finding all kinds of human waste, like "iron objects, plastic and garbage" in the bodies of cows who have died of neglect on the streets.
Quoting Punjab Gau Sewa Commission, The Indian Express reports that over one lakh stray cows of the exotic Holstein-Friesian (HF) variety are found in Punjab's streets. Abandoned by farmers after they become infertile or stop giving milk, the cows become unwell from consuming waste from the streets.
Singh says farmers need to be educated about how the imported HF breed needs to be taken care of. More importantly, they need to be told of the benefits of indigenous breeds, he adds.
Punjab Not Alone
Punjab is not alone. Only last month, there were reports of cow shelters overflowing in the capital, with several refusing to admit any more.
The cows that are usually brought to these shelters are injured or abandoned after they're beyond milking age.
Hindustan Times quotes a manager of one of the cow shelters as saying:
People leave their cattle roaming on streets and take them in during the nights so that they do not have to feed them. There is a need to put a control over such acts so that the problem is solved at its root.
The three corporations in Delhi – run by the BJP – are responsible for bringing cows to these centres. Incidentally, in its election manifesto, the BJP had also promised opening of new shelters, but the problem of stray cattle continues unabated.
Amid the frenzy around ‘gau raksha’ leading to several lynchings and deaths, the real raksha seems to be getting shelved.
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