Stray Cattle Problem in India – A Burning Issue of Public Health & Safety

Stray Cattle Problem in India – A Burning Issue of Public Health & Safety

Each among us must have come across words like homeless, shelter less, heirless, ownerless in common parlance where such terms are associated with humans. These situations are mired with the vagaries of nature and man-made problems. The scenario does not apply only to humans but has context in animal care as well. So in case of cattle, three terms are related with this regard which is as under

• Stray cattle: Stray cattle is defined as the one that has no owner, strays across road/public place and wander without any proper destination or have no shelter
• Loose cattle: In urban areas, due to lack of space and high cost of feed the cattle are allowed to stray during daytime by their owners .
• Scrub cattle: Cattle that stray from the herds and run wild in the scrubs.

Stray cattle status in India

The stray cattle population in India is about 5 million which is over and above the 193 million cattle present in the country (Table 1 and Figure 1). The census further trends the population of stray cattle show marginal decrease of about 3.2% over the previous census but the figure still hovers around 5 million which is worrisome. While the stray cattle population shows a decline at the national level, there is substantial increase in stray cattle population in states such as, Madhya Pradesh (95%), Punjab (38.69%) Rajasthan (34.48%), Chhattisgarh (33.93%) Gujarat (17.59%) and Uttar Pradesh (17.34%), in 2019 in comparison to 2012 as shown in figure 2. However, in some states, a sharp decline has been registered in the stray cattle population. These include Orissa (86.68%), West Bengal (73.59%), Bihar (66.54%) and Tamil Nadu (23.95%). Besides this, there are many states and union territories which have little or no stray cattle population which includes: D and N Haveli, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Pondicherry and Sikkim. In Jammu and Kashmir, stray cattle population has shown increase of 65.73% over previous census with total of about 13,000 stray cattle in 2019 as depicted in table 2 and figure 3

Reasons for cattle being stray———

In urban areas lack of space and high cost of feed due to non availability of land for cultivation of fodder and grazing has made farmers to stray/abandon their cattle on the streets of cities, where they find their way to graze on waste, garbage and tanks. Cattle are being abandoned by farmers because they are beyond the age of productivity that means more than 8-9 years (approx) and the cost to keep an unproductive cow is (94.12 USD/month which leads to severe economic deficit on behalf of the farmer. There has been a decline in agricultural activities and increased industrialization in the past decade which has led to replacement of bullocks by mechanized instruments . In India beef ban has made it difficult for farmers to sell their unproductive cattle and dispose of their males calves. Prior to the beef ban, farmers could sell dried up cows for 251.03 USD to 627.58 US D each depending on their age. Farmers are facing a severe financial insufficiency since they can no longer sell their cattle for profit.

Nuisance caused by stray cattle ————

• Road accidents: Prevalence of animals wandering across the public roads is common contributing to traffic accident  • Disease carriers: Stray cattle harbor various parasites and acts as disease carriers for other cattle as well as humans such as Salmonellosis, Mycobacterium paratuberclosis, ringworm, Q fever etc. • Compete for feed resources: Huge cattle populations with low productivity have become a great liability as they compete for nutritional resources by grazing on land that should be otherwise only for higher yielding animals owned by farmers. • Trespassing on farmland: Cows trespass on farmland and destroy crops causing annoyance to farmers. • Methane emission: Increasing stray cattle population is one of the contributing factors to increasing methane levels which is a potent cause of global warming.

Management of stray cattle ————

In an agrarian country like India, cattle can be considered as the backbone of rural economy in terms of income, employment, social/gender equity, agricultural sustainability and diversification. It is treated as most pious animal and has the apex position in the country as there is great religious significance and cultural sensitivity towards the welfare of cattle in India. Besides this, it is predominant farm livestock speciesand represents about 37.28% of total livestock wealth . Thus there is need to manage these cattle in a humane manner when they become old, sick, disabled, non-productive and stray animal.

Stray cattle can be managed by following ways like————–

• Rehabilitation of stray cattle at cow shelters (Gaushala). • An effective castration programme needs to be run by each state government. As the Indian cattle breeds produce low milk production as well as this country encourages the beef ban, thus castration of unselected animals by farmers themselves best option. To ensure animal welfare, large number of trained personnel would be necessary and to maintain such a service need huge funds and organizational support. • Using female sorted sexed semen would help in reduction in number of unwanted male calves. Flow cytometry which is considered a most reliable, fastest and cost effective method for the same  • Re-domestication of cattle may be tried by feeding kitchen residue and special provisions for green fodder/grazing facilities at home . • Recognition and registration of potential breeds to attract state funding for improvement

Rehabilitation of Stray cattle —————

It is one of the main managemental practices followed across India. Stray cattle are rehabilitated at Gaushalas. Gaushala, a Sanskrit word (“Gau” means cow and “Shala” means a shelter place) which means the institution established for the purpose of keeping, breeding, rearing and maintaining cattle for the purpose of reception, protection and treatment of infirm, aged or diseased cattle. Gaushalasprimarily focus on providing shelter to cows and cater mostly to the needs of non-lactating, weak, unproductive and stray cattle. Itincludes a Pinjarapole or a Gosadanwhere such cattle are kept.

Historical perspective of Gaushalas—————

The Gaushala movement is synonymous with the protection of cows and cattle wealth. Being practiced for the last five thousand years or so, its origin can be traced in the Vedic period when social customs and rules laid great emphasis on protection, preservation and development of cows for home, and oxen for agriculture fields. After the establishment of the first Gaushalain Rewari (now in Haryana) by Raja Rao Yudister Singh in 1879, between 1880 and 1893, hundreds of Gaushalas were established. In 1947 the Government of India appointed a ‘Cattle Preservation and Development Committee’ under the chairmanship of Sardar Datar Singh. Along with other issues, the Committee also studied the role of Gaushalas, Cattle Protection Societies and Salvage Centres for preserving cattle wealth and for promoting their development. The Committee recommended establishment of ‘Gosadans’ where ‘uneconomic’cattle could be housed and allowed to die a natural death. In pursuance of this recommendation a scheme for establishment of 160 Gosadansin the country was included in the First Five Year Plan (1951-56). It was 1949 when Central Gaushala Development Board was established for coordinating the activities of Gaushalas. Government of India in 1952 set up Central Council of Govsamvardana which is for preservation and development of cattle. A report published by CCG, New Delhi under the heading “Gaushals and Pinjarapoles in India” during First Five Year Plan.

Role of Gaushalas

There are about 7331 registered Gaushalas in India run by Animal Husbandry department and others (NGOs, panchayats, ashrams etc.). Out of which majority is present in Rajasthan with 1881 Gaushalas followed by Gujarat and then Haryana. In Jammu and Kashmir only 25 Gaushalas are there which are all governed by other organizations like NGOs, panchayats, ashrams etc. Besides providing shelter to non-lactating, weak, unproductive and stray cattle, it plays additional role in many states like in Karnataka some of the Gaushalas act as isolated stations for diseased animals; in Gujarat as productive units for milk, dung and urine; in Punjab as breeding stations for indigenous cattle and in Haryana/Uttar Pradesh as shelters only.

Funding

Out of about 7331Gaushalas in India which largely serves the indigenous cattle population approximately 1850 Gaushalas are registered under Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) which is largest funding agency for promotion of animal welfare initiatives by different organizations including Gaushalas. While as rest of them are completely private and depends solely on donations

Management of Gaushalas

The management of the Gaushalas is by and large on traditional lines rather than on scientific basis. Thus, the animal science di vision of Indian Council of Agricultural Research has proposed a manual on “Management of Gaushalas” in 2016 which will significantly help in capacity building of Gaushala staff for scientific rearing of cows. This manual provides information on housing, sanitation, feeding, breeding and health aspects of cattle management which will certainly help in transforming Gaushalas for better upkeep of cows and their progeny

. It includes

• Minimum infrastructure required for Gaushalas of three herd size (100, 500, 1000 animals).

• Identification and record keeping of animals.

• Feeding of different types of animals.

• Veterinary care of animals including vaccinations.

• Maintaining hygiene of animals as well as the Gaushala and disposal of wastes.

• How to manufacture eco-friendly products from cow dung.

Source of revenue for Gaushalas

Gaushalas have milk as their primary source of income. Apart from milk, cow urine, cow dung and hides can be used for revenue generation. Cow dung isa vital source for biogas- plants (263,702 million m3 /year) and on large scale can be used for sale in brick kiln.

Major constraints faced by Gaushalas

As we know every coin has two sides; there are some of the constraints also which are faced by Gaushalas in India that includes. Non-availability of land for grazing andfodder cultivation, inadequate supply of green fodder round the year and inadequate knowledge on balanced feeding are the major constraints regarding feeding. In healthcare constraints, lack of timely access to veterinary services, poor knowledge about cattle health management and prevalence of poor environmental hygiene are important constraints. The reason might be due to inadequate knowledge regarding good healthcare practices, distant location and limited access to veterinary services. Inadequate credit facilities/funds/donations, inadequate infrastructure and difficulty in registration are some of the important institutional constraints. Inadequate capital for infrastructure development, high cost of inputs and inadequate support for training and development are important constraints. Currently, there is much controversy between Indian political parties on resolving the economic and social stress that cow abandonment has caused on several states in India .

Welfare issues of stray cattle in Gaushalas ————

Five freedoms of animal welfare are as following • Freedom from Hunger and Thirst • Freedom from Discomfort • Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease • Freedom to Express Normal Behavior • Freedom from Fear and Distress. Primary welfare problems in the shelters are low space allowance per cow, poor quality of the floors, little freedom of movement and a lack of pasture grazing. Compromised biosecurity and risks of zoonosis have also been reported

It is concluded that Gaushala can curb the nuisance caused by the huge stray cattle population next to rehabilitation of cattle when they become old, sick, disabled and non-productive. Moreover, it acts as breeding station for indigenous breeds where these breeds are developed and preserved. Besides providing income and employment to many people, Gaushala can take India to organic future as food grains, pesticides, fertilizers produced from natural agricultural system with the use of cow-urine, cow dung-based manure are free from chemicals. However, there are some lacunas also that are faced by the Gaushalas that includes- poor nutrition, healthcare, inadequacy of skilled labour and credit facilities.

Suggestions

• In order to overcome the lacunas faced by Gaushalas, several NGOs, trusts and SHGs are already working in this area. Their efforts can be supplemented by new government schemes. • Government has been found lagging in providing financial assistance to Gaushalas. Thus government funding can be increased by allocating a certain portion of funds in the annual budget to the Gaushala alone. • The net income is found negative for various Gaushalas due to higher expenditure on feeding of large animals and very low milk production. Hence efforts should be made to provide good quality of feed and fodder at reasonable prices. • The less sustainable Gaushalas should learn lessons from higher sustainable Gaushalas by diversifying their income resources through making and selling various products like pesticides, organic manure, milk, cow dung and urine. • Gaushalas should be built efficiently so as to accommodate adequate number of stray animals and must have good facilities such as veterinary hospital, ambulance, processing mill etc.

MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS RELATED TO STRAY CATTLE

• Most recently, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation, one of the four municipal bodies in the national capital, had announced an ambitious plan to implant chips in cattle with the owners’ information.
• Using the chip, authorities plan to track down erring cattle owners and fine them Rs 25,000 every time their cattle is found abandoned.
• India has over five million stray cattle, as per the 20th Livestock Census released by the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying in January 2020.
• There are several reasons for the high share of stray cattle in the country: from neglect of the indigenous populations to excessive focus on crossbreeding in the past few decades. Increased mechanisation and the national ban on cow slaughter have further added to the problem.
• In the common parlance, stray cattle include cows, bulls or calves that are abandoned because they are unproductive.
• They also include low-yield cows, mostly owned by city-dwellers, that are set free to roam about in the open during the daytime.
• While stray cattle are a traffic nuisance in cities, they also raid crops in villages.
• Given the complexity of the problem, simply directing stray cattle towards gaushalas (cow shelters) is not going to be sufficient. This is clear as the Centre has been constantly increasing the number of and support to gaushalas under the Rashtriya Gokul Mission with little success.
• Seven of the 10 states with the most number of stray cattle have recorded a rise in their number between 2012 and 2019, So evidently, the Centre needs to widen its strategy to reduce stray cattle.
• For this, it first needs to improve its understanding of cattle, especially of the neglected varieties that have been sidelined by their popular counterparts.
• In India, cattle can be classified into four broad groups:
• defined breeds,
• uniform breeds,
• crossbreeds and
• non-descript cattle.
• The defined breeds include the 50 most valuable indigenous cattle varieties such as Gir, Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar and Rathi. They constitute almost 20 per cent of the total number.
• These breeds are region-specific and have adapted to local climatic conditions, making them hardy to food shortages and climate variations.
• For example, the varieties found in northern and western states have high milk yield, while those in the southern states are ideal to be used as draft.
• Breeds found in the eastern states are used for both milk production and draft. Given their high value and low maintenance, these varieties are never abandoned.
• The uniform category is the second group, that includes cattle varieties yet to be recognised as a breed, even though they are widely used by the farmers.
• They are well adapted to local conditions but as they are not properly identified, many of them are crossbred, which leads to poorer varieties.
• Only these varieties, which account for a small portion of the uniform group, are abandoned. This can be avoided if authorities recognise them.
• Some of the uniform varieties are Alambadi, Sanchori, Jellicut, Kasargod, Krishnagiri, Manapari, Shahabadi, Tarai and Zobawng. They constitute almost 10 per cent of the total number.
• The uniform category is the second group, that includes cattle varieties yet to be recognised as a breed, even though they are widely used by the farmers.
• They are well adapted to local conditions but as they are not properly identified, many of them are crossbred, which leads to poorer varieties.
• Only these varieties, which account for a small portion of the uniform group, are abandoned. This can be avoided if authorities recognise them.
• Some of the uniform varieties are Alambadi, Sanchori, Jellicut, Kasargod, Krishnagiri, Manapari, Shahabadi, Tarai and Zobawng. They constitute almost 10 per cent of the total number.
• Crossbred cattle form the third group, which accounts for 21 per cent of the total cattle in the country.
• These are a product of various failed government-backed programmes started almost 60 years ago to crossbreed popular Indian varieties (Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, and Tharparkar) with the exotic ones such as Jersey and Holstein Friesian.
• While the first generation of crossbreed varieties saw an increase in milk yield, this could not be sustained in the subsequent generations.
• The other challenge was that most varieties failed to adapt to the Indian conditions, making them too expensive to be maintained by small and marginal farmers. Their average lifespan is also less than that of indigenous breeds.
• The non-descript breeds, which account for the remaining 49 per cent overall.
• Cattle in this category usually display low productivity. As a result, they have not even been identified.
• They form the bulk of the stray cattle, which is unfortunate because they can be made commercially viable if proper research is carried out to determine their potential.
• This means more than 70 per cent of the cattle population (crossbreed and non-descript combined) are at high risk of becoming stray cattle.
• The first step to prevent this should be to stop cross-breeding indigenous and exotic varieties.
• The other approach could be reverse crossbreeding, where crossbred varieties are used as foster mothers to produce pure indigenous cows through embryo transfer technology. Increased interventions in this regard, such as developing embryos of indigenous breeds,
• While the inability to remain productive in the Indian climatic conditions is the primary reason that crossbreeds are abandoned, neglect is what ails the non-descript variety. But recent research suggests that proper interventions can improve their productivity.
• Indian breeds have an advantage over the exotic ones as they naturally produce A2 quality of milk that is beneficial to humans.
• The indigenous cow milk also has high levels of some useful components like conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and cerebrosides.
• Besides milk, cattle is also used as draft animals. While this function has reduced with the onset of mechanisation, they continue to be in demand in remote areas.
• This can be further augmented if research is carried out to design agricultural tools / implements that can be used with draft animals.
• The country also needs a policy to promote the use of draft animals in farms. This would help save on petro-dollars and the environment.
• Indigenous cattle varieties have several other advantages over the exotic breeds that should be deliberately studied and promoted.
• The dung of indigenous cattle, for example, has a lot of useful bacteria that can prevent diseases caused by pathogenic strains and can be used as a natural purifier.
• Cow dung is a rich source of micro-flora which can be used as probiotics.
• Cow urine (of indigenous varieties) can be utilised in agriculture as bio-pesticide, yield enhancer and soil rejuvenator, besides curing diseases, controlling mosquitoes, disinfection and fish food.
• Likewise cow dung is used in energy production via fermentation and gasification processes.
• The cow dung ash has been used in construction as a partial replacement of conventional material and as an adsorbent.
• Finally, cow milk, curd, ghee, urine and dung are also used in making panchgavya, which provides immunity.

DR P.YOGI, ORGANIC DAIRY CONSULTANT, NAGPUR

REFERENCE-ON REQUEST

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