Cow, Our Mother

Cows are one of the most innocent animals and are considered holy in our country. Slaughtering of cows is banned in 24 states of our country but they are not treated the same all over the globe. Cow is used for food, entertainment ,clothing and pharmaceuticals worldwide.

I would like to tell our readers the life-story of the “ mothers ”(cows) of the Indians :

A grown-up cow needs to give birth in order to produce milk. Therefore, they are forcefully impregnated artificially by injecting her with the semen collected from the bull. Cows are strongly maternal beings, but within an hour of calves birth, they are separated from their children .So that the milk produced from their udders can be used for humans. They bellow day and night for the calves. The male calves, called bobby calves, are considered useless as they can never produce milk and are sent to slaughterhouses. “Starved, confused and desperate for affection; they cry for their mothers, all the while waiting to be killed the following morning. Around 700,000 male calves are slaughtered as a waste product of the dairy industry.

Not only bobby calves but also female calves are kept isolated and fed on milk-replacer, waiting for them to grow up.2-3 times a day. The lactating cows are herded into the milking shed and hooked up to the industrial milking machine. Naturally, the lifespan of cows are 20 years but due to this long and constant exploitation they last only 4 to 8 years. They are continuously impregnated and are forced to produce 10 times more milk than they naturally would. Gradually their milk production decreases and they become weak. After which, they are sent to slaughterhouses and killed for flesh and meat. The hides of cows and bobby calves are sent to tanneries to be turned into leather further used in shoes ,handbags and other accessories.

Not only this, they are also subjected to other agonies during their lifetime. They are subjected to various surgeries without anesthesia like disbudding, dehorning or ear tagging and branding with hot iron. Most of them suffer from malnutrition which when not treated well, kills them off. They are also subjected to tail-twisting and electric-rod. Sometimes, calves, bulls are physically provoked for entertainment purposes like rodeo where injuries are inevitable.

REMEDY:

To reduce animal suffering, we offer straightforward, practical advice and training to help companies and governments to take action.

Humane slaughter: ~ Changes made in slaughterhouses following our training include: • Use of humane handling techniques • Pre-slaughter stunning, which stops animals feeling pain • Correct use of stunning and restraining equipment • Use of non-slip floors and low-angle ramps to stop animals falling and getting injured. IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS FAST GETTING VITIATED DUE TO INCREASING INCIDENTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST COW, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO KNOW ABOUT COW PROTECTION LAWS THE LAW HAS CREATED BOTH, THE LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BACKDROP. ➢ INTERNATIONAL LAWS:

Europe The measures for sanitary checks, animal welfare protection and slaughtering procedures are harmonized throughout the European Union, and detailed by the European Commissions' regulations.

Canada In Canada, the handling and slaughter of food animals is a shared responsibility of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), industry, stakeholders, transporters, operators and every person who handles live animals. Canadian law requires that all federally registered slaughter establishments ensure that all species of food animals are handled and slaughtered humanely. Cows are considered to be a sacred animal in the Hindu religion. The ardent followers of religion worship this animal like a Goddess. A cow has been honored with the status of a mother in Hinduism.

Nowadays, India has a lot of organizations with the sole purpose of protecting cows. They work to help cows from any danger. They do not tolerate any kind of harm to cows. The government is also taking a lot of measures to protect cows from any injustice. People are coming forward in alliance to safeguard them. They do not prefer any kind of inappropriate behavior with cows. We must work together to protect cows and become the voice for the unspoken.

Cow Slaughter Legislations in some of the states of India:

1)The Andhra Pradesh Prohibition of Cow Slaughter and Animal Preservation Act, 1977 2)The Delhi Agricultural Cattle Preservation Act, 1994 3)The Uttar Pradesh Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955 (Amended in 1979 and subsequently in 2002) CONCLUSION: Banning the cow slaughter will hamper the different businesses. As a result it will directly make a huge impact on the economy of many countries. As in the sundry world, the food habits are also different. We need to understand that the article must be enforced as and when needed by the economy. However the idea of enforcement of ban cannot be entertained keeping in mind the diverse population of the countries and their beliefs. But, we should always remember that cows are too living-beings and we should always try to act humanly towards them. KILL ME BUT SPARE THE COW. - LOKMANYA TILAK

-By Astha Singh | Bsc. Physical Science with CS |