HYDERABAD: Cow and its welfare have gained national attention over the past couple of years. To understand the animal better, researchers from the University of Queensland and the Hyderabad-based Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LACONES), at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, have conducted a study on the reasons cows face stress at cowsheds and goshalas. One of the reasons for this stress, according to a study that is sure to get the government’s attention, is cow dung itself!
The study, titled ‘Hair Cortisol in Sheltered Cows and Its Association with Other Welfare Indicators’, published in the journal Animals, has pointed out that the cortisol levels in hair samples collected from a cow can be a marker that can help ascertain if a cow is under stress. Cortisol is a hormone that is associated with stress. In this case, the omnipresence of dung in cowsheds causes much stress in the animal.
As part of the study the researchers studied cortisol levels in 540 cows from 54 cowsheds in six States — Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.
The researchers observed that the high cortisol levels were associated with various factors associated with the physical condition of cowsheds as well as health condition of the cows. With regards to the condition of the cowsheds, it was found that dung lying around in them and poor access to yards were reasons behind high stress. With respect to health conditions, high cortisol was associated with dirty flanks, injuries on the body, body lesions, dehydration, and old age.