THE SILENCE OF THE COWS

Today more than 5.2 million cows wander the streets of big cities in India, walking endlessly for miles and miles to an uncertain destination.

Making their way through traffic and standing at garbage dumps searching for food and chewing on plastic when they should be roaming about in the fields and feeding on the lush green grass.

Did you know that over 1,000 cows die each year due to feeding on polythene?

Or did you know of the thousands of roaming cows die due to road accidents each year?

No?

Cows are considered to be holy animals in Hinduism and most of India, yet they are left to wander the streets alone and expected to fend for themselves.

Unfortunately, it's the sad reality of the world that we live in today that the very people who are responsible for looking after these animals set them loose on the streets after getting their milk so that they don't have to bear the expenses of feeding them.

It's sad how quickly people can forget about you until they want something from you.

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As millions of cows look for food in every corner of India,

Many of them have made their way into the fields of hundreds of farmers and eaten all their crops like in parts of Uttar Pradesh. For which naturally, the hungry cows are held responsible.

Still, can you blame them?

We have replaced their grass with cement paths, shrubs with fences and trees with tall buildings, and taken away their food source.

Now, you tell me what are they supposed to eat?

If this is their situation in everyday life, I can't even imagine what they must be going through during this Corona pandemic where almost every hand that used to feed them is locked inside their homes with families who don't even have enough to feed themselves and with markets barely functioning there barely any source of food for these gentle creatures left.

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India's 1,800 recognized cow shelters are overflowing with cattle, where volunteers often struggle to keep them healthy and fed. At one large shelter, 8,000 animals died in a seven-month span.

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Although our government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tightened laws to protect cows, making it harder for farmers to sell for slaughter cattle that are no longer giving milk and pouring $41 million into cow sheds between 2014 and 2016, implementation in a country as densely populated as India is close to impossible.

Still,

State governments are trying to control the problem by tracking cows with identity numbers on ear tags and banning cow-slaughter in many states which has proved to be the first sprint in this long run.

Although we alone can't do much to improve this situation as the conditions of these animals can only be changed if local dairies are relocated to places with an expanse of grassy land where they can keep the cattle and look after them or they are provided with fooder by the government for their livestock.

But there are a few things that we can do:-

1. We can start by providing food to wandering cows if they come to your house. They chew on plastic so they'll eat just about everything, but If you want to give them something a little bit healthier, you can consider giving them rotis, bread, Jaggery, or any green leafy vegetables.

2. We can keep our surroundings clean and stop using plastic or make sure it is properly disposed of after use. As cows may accidentally choke on plastic while searching the garbage for food.

3. Not just for cows but for other animals as well, we can keep earthen vessels or any other vessels filled with water outside our homes. Just make sure that it is thoroughly attached to the support otherwise I doubt you'll ever see it again :)

4. This is a bit of a stretch but it is not impossible. We can plant shrubs outside our house or just grow grass if there is a patch of land.

JUST KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR A LOUD MOOOOO! OUTSIDE YOUR HOUSE!

By:-Tanya-Goel