The Plastic Cow

 

The Karuna Society for Animals and Nature has been established in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, South India since 2000. The Karuna Society (Karuna = compassion) works for animal welfare and the environment by providing free medical care and shelter for sick, injured, abandoned and abused animals. Since 2002 Karuna has rescued more than 700 cows, buffaloes, donkeys and horses.

 

Around a decade ago, 35 cows suddenly came into Karuna Society's care—when one cow died unexpectedly, a post-mortem examination revealed a huge amount of plastic and other garbage in its stomach. Further surgeries on the remaining animals found that all had plastic in their abdomens. Since then Karuna Society has performed rumenotomies on around 60 cows.

 

An estimated five million cows roam India's cities, with many gorging on the vast amounts of plastic litter on the streets. There is no official, nationwide data on how many cows die every year from ingesting plastic. But in 2017, a Times of India report cited veterinary officials and animal welfare groups estimate, that around 1,000 cows die annually just in the city of Lucknow from eating plastic.

 

A case In Faridabad, North India highlights the country's twin problems of pollution and stray cattle. A cow was rescued after a road accident by the People For Animals Trust Faridabad. A vet soon noticed the pregnant bovine was struggling. In a four-hour operation, vets found nails, plastic, marbles and other garbage in its stomach. Vets at that organisation attempted to induce labour of the pregnant cow but were unable to save her calf—three days later the mother cow also died.

 

The Karuna Society have produced a documentary entitled The Plastic Cow about animal rights, which looks at the impact of man's dependence on plastic and how it is used and carelessly discarded each day. Not only is this plastic an environmental threat, it also ends up in the stomach of discarded cows; who have to fend for themselves by foraging for food from community garbage dumps and the streets.

Much excellent animal welfare work is being undertaken by such organisations as the Karuna Society at Puttaparthi but please understand the phenomenon of the Plastic Cow is serious and widespread throughout India and most certainly includes Tiruvannamalai and Tamil Nadu.