PUDUKOTTAI: Caste discrimination might have reared its ugly head during the distribution of relief materials to the cyclone-affected in some places, but animals seem to be the least bothered about social divides and hierarchies.
A good example is an orphaned baby goat being taken care of by a dog in a Pudukkottai village. The baby goat, named Kanna, lost its mother a few days after Cyclone Gaja struck the district. Kanna was born in Thiruvalluvar Nagar near Kumaramalai three days before the cyclone made landfall, on November 16. A few days later, the mother developed health issues and died.
R Duraisamy, owner of both the animals, said, "The goat did not go grazing during the days for a few days after cyclone. Goats do not normally graze on wet leaves. The hungry goat ate rice that we kept in a bowl inside our house, which led to health problems. I brought in a veterinarian for her treatment, but she passed away, leaving the baby all alone.”
Duraisamy and family members’ attempts to feed the goat using a feeding bottle failed as it would not drink from it. But one day, Duraisamy was surprised on seeing his dog, Ponni, feeding the baby goat along with her puppy.
“We thought the dog would attack the goat, but she is caring for it. It allows the goat to drink its milk and to cuddle her while sleeping. The dog has been playing mother to the goat for the past one month,” he said.
Duraisamy’s son Veeramani, a Class V student, was happy to see Kanna being taken care of by Ponni and brought his school friends home to show the rare scene of a dog taking care of a goat.
P N Richard Jagatheesan, head of the Veterinary University Training and Research Centre, Tiruchy, said,
“Inter-species feeding is an exceptional case. An animal nursing and developing a bond with other species happens rarely. However, it is a part of animal behaviour to take care of other animals in need.”