‘More cows were abandoned this year by owners’

Even as several cases of violence have been reported in cases related to the alleged slaughter of cows, figures cited by the Mumbai-based Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty on Animals (BSPCA) indicated that instances of cows being abandoned by their owners is on the rise this year when compared to last year.

A total of 305 animals, including 70 cows, were found abandoned this year compared to the corresponding 2015 figure of 200, of which 30 were cows.

Instances of animals dying and getting injured in road accidents are also on the rise. At least 35 cows, 35 cats, eight goats and 35 dogs were victims of hit-and-run cases this year, and are currently undergoing treatment at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals in Parel.

Lt Col (Dr) J.C. Khanna, secretary of the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty on Animals (BSPCA), said, “There is a spike in cows and other animals being abandoned this year, in addition to the hit-and-run cases. Especially cows and goats that have stopped giving milk are most likely discarded. Accidents usually happen owing to poor visibility during the night.”

An average of 50 to 60 dogs, 20 to 25 cats, four to give cattle are brought to BSPCA every month, some with minor injuries, fractures and some with major injuries that could take away their mobility.

Pawan Sharma, the founder of NGO Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), said, “We need to have a microchip system so that we can trace the animals and their owners who desert them.”