Adult cattle abandoned near a goshala

Recently, the VSPCA rescue team found more than 150 cattle dumped and abandoned near a goshala whose capacity to take care of these big animals is only 40.  This adds to an issue that VSPCA was already working on to resolve; male calves donated to the Simhachalan Temple in the hopes that the Temple will take care of them were also abandoned by the Temple authorities.  The Temple had made a promise to take care of these animals based on their beliefs about the cow, but they have gone back on their word.  All these neglected calves were left outside in harsh weather conditions without any water or fodder. They are extremely vulnerable to roadside accidents, attacks from feral dogs and getting kidnapped by middlemen for their meat for human consumption via (often illegal) slaughterhouses. These male calves are a Jersey breed that is more fragile than the Indian bovine, and unfortunately, they die quickly when separated from their mothers. 

It’s hard bringing our audience bad tidings at the end of the year in a spate, but this is our reality.  In addition to the calves abandoned above, our VSPCA rescue team found yet another 290 cattle dumped illegally by a person who we have yet to identify. 

At our shelters, we have more than 500 cattle to look after. We are able to look after them only with the help of our giving volunteers, empathetic medical team and a few animal lovers who genuinely care for these gentle creatures. 

To take care of adult cows at our shelter costs a low average of INR 40,000/ day. Our committed team spends every day looking after these cows, providing them with food, water shelter and often, treatment for many ailments. Many of them need special attention and medical treatment as they are either injured during the long journeys or have been abused by their previous owners. 

During this holiday season, we humbly ask all our well-wishers to help us take care of these cattle.  They should matter to all of us.  Taking care of the domestic cow helps take care of the animals in ecosystems that humanity needs for long-term survival, like the tiger and the elephant. Cows should not be domesticated.  We don’t need their milk or their leather or meat.  They are part of a horrendous livestock industry for which a lot of natural lands are being destroyed.  VSPCA is doing its very best to train farmers to let all bovines live out their lives so that future generations are not produced for human needs.  It is with this hope, we ask for your help – to ensure that the future generations of all the living on Earth are in environments that help them thrive, rather than become exploited.  

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