KARAIKAL: Around 12 kg of plastic covers found in the stomach of a lactating cow which died in Karaikal on Friday morning has triggered outrage. People are up in arms over the rampant use of plastic in Karaikal. The death of the cow also raised concerns over improper waste disposal and management, irresponsible bovine herding and the lack of health services for animals in Karaikal.
The seven-year-old lactating cow belonged to cattle farmer I Murugesan of Karaikalmedu. It died after suddenly falling ill and had been ailing for four days.
Veterinarians who conducted the autopsy found plastic and other waste such as hairpins, fishing nets and needles in the cow’s stomach. A video of the autopsy is doing the rounds on social media where many have expressed concerns over the impact of the plastic ban, waste management, lack of health services and regulation of bovine farming in Karaikal. “The bovines which are released into the public are desperate to find food and eat anything that smells like food.
They are only ‘five-sensed’ animals. Even bovines kept for slaughter are being released for freeloading. It is high time we realise how important it is to be responsible for what we discard as waste,” said P Saravanan, an animal rights activist from Karaikal.
Veterinarians treated Murugesan’s cow for a few days before it died on Friday. Sources said the cow showed no signs of illness until a week before it stopped eating. Cattle owners who wish to avail government veterinary health services like X-rays have to take their animals to other districts like Puducherry, which has the necessary equipment. Although the cow was uninsured, officials agreed to conduct an autopsy at cattle farmers’ request. The veterinarians ruled the cause of death as ‘Ruminal Impaction with Foreign Bodies’.
Lack of veterinary health
“We were also shocked to see the amount of plastic and other waste we got out. Availability of health services in Karaikal is limited due to shortage of funds. We had been advising farmers not to release bovines for freeloading,” said G Latha Mangeshkar, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry department.
There are around 18,000 bovines in Karaikal district. There are no dedicated veterinary hospitals but only major and minor dispensaries, mobile dispensaries and eight sub-centres. There are few veterinarians in Karaikal district and lack of equipment needed to treat animals. “We had demanded for a long time to increase the number of veterinary doctors and surgeons and to improve facilities. Most cattle farmers are underprivileged. Pasture lands in Karaikal have disappeared. Farmers need a subsidy or direct availability of green fodder. They are forced to release their bovines on to the beach and roads due to their inability to feed them.” said TKSM Kanagasundharam, a cattle farmer from Neravy.
Lack of plastic ban impact
Plastics have been banned in Karaikal and the rest of the Union Territory since August 2019. The ban has had little effect as plastic continues to be freely available. “We are simply and collectively not doing enough to follow the ban in Karaikal. Animals and water bodies are paying the price for the ineffective plastic ban,” said A Prabakar.
Plastic is mostly circulated through small and street vendors, and butcher shops in Karaikal. “We last sensitised traders about avoiding plastics in June and July 2019. We are trying to reach out to unregistered traders and butcher shop owners to raise the awareness again,” said A Muthaiya, president, Karaikal Chamber of Commerce. The municipality said it is seizing plastic during occasional inspections.