KURNOOL: Doctors, who operated on an ailing pregnant cow, found nearly 60 kg of plastic waste in the bovine’s stomach in Nandyal town. The cow died on Monday, while undergoing treatment after it delivered a stillborn calf three days back.
According to locals, over 200 stray cattle in Nandyal town are left to feed on garbage dumped by hotels and households on the streets.
Locals of Kota street said that the cow, which was eight months pregnant, was regularly straying in the locality and was feeding on leftover food dumped on the streets.
It developed health complications and was barely able to move in the past few days. It could not even pass urine or dung and had stopped eating.
On June 9, locals found the animal struggling for life. Veterinary doctors, who rushed to the spot with a hydroelectric lift and conducted a surgery on the cow.
During the three-and-half-hour surgery, the doctors, including Dr Sudhakar Reddy and Dr Abhilash Reddy, removed nearly 60 kg of plastic waste from the stomach of the pregnant cow. After the vets took out the waste, the cow delivered a stillborn calf.
Doctors said that the calf could not get natural feed in the mother’s womb, which led to its death. The mother died on Monday even as the efforts of vets were in vain. Nandyal assistant director of animal husbandry department Dr R Nagaraju told TNIE that several stray cattle in towns face the same health issues as they consume plastic waste.
He asked municipal officials to strictly ban plastic and should clear such waste immediately from dustbins. He called upon people to inform the department on the toll free number 1962 if they found animals in trouble.
FAST FACTS
Of the 70 tonnes of garbage generated in Nandyal, 10 tonnes is plastic waste. It may be noted that the state government has already banned manufacturing, sale and use of single-use plastic, including bags, straws, cups, and plates