CHENNAI: A video posted in Blue Cross of India’s Instagram page, a week back, shows doctors clad in white scrubs and blue gloves pulling out a thick wad of browning plastic from a cow’s stomach. The video cuts to the cow after the surgery, lumbering along and seemingly healthy. But plastic consumption among cattle is not an uncommon sight for the doctors of Blue Cross of India. According to Dr Siva Ramanujan, a veterinary doctor for over 31 years, plastic ingestion among cattle in metropolitan areas is a common sight.
“The prehensile organs — the tongue and lips of cattle help grasp and pull fodder and grass for consumption. These organs are not very sensitive in cattle, which is why they are unable to distinguish between plastic and food when eating,” said Dr Siva. This is seen primarily in cattle, then buffalo, and occasionally in sheep and goat. The case in the video occurred one month back. After conducting an initial examination and a rectal examination, Dr Siva diagnosed the animal with ruminal impaction, or failure of digestion, with the cause due to ingestion of plastic.
“Based on the age, health, and percentage of plastic, we can go into surgery. This particular case, the cow only had around 40 per cent of plastic in the stomach, but I have seen cases with 80 per cent plastic. In those cases, I can’t even move my hand when conducting a rectal examination,” he said. Dr Siva explained that the chemicals in the plastic can be toxic for the cattle and in worst cases, can lead to death. A 2018 study by Priyanka M and Dey S, published in Veterinary World states, “Cobalt, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, and their salts and complexes such as stearates and phthalates are generally incorporated in the processing of plastics. Being cumulative poison, these toxic metals bioaccumulate in vital organs and cause harmful effects slowly over time.
The other threat of these heavy metals is their plausible presence in the human food chain through meat and milk products.” Dr Siva agreed that ingestion of plastic by cattle can affect the meat and milk of the animal. Since 2016, he has seen around 1,000 such cases, with at least 20 cases coming in every month. “This is the issue when rearing cattle in a metropolitan city.
There is a lack of space in the city. Some cattle owners will release their cattle after milking to go find food on their own. They will inevitably eat plastic,” he said. Following the plastic ban enacted this year, he has not seen a change in the number of cases. To tackle this issue, he recommends that locals manage their waste more effectively, while also educating cattle owners on the issue. He also feels that strict government control on cattle-grazing, or supporting the farmers by providing them with grazing area, will help solve this situation.