36 more cows dead in UP

Ayodhya/Pratapgarh, July 14 (IANS) In a shocking incident, 30 cows died at a shelter home in Ayodhya, while six others were dead after being caught in a swamp created by rain water in Pratapgarh.

The deaths in Ayodhya and Pratapgarh on Saturday comes after 35 cows died at a shelter home in Prayagraj on Friday due to a lightning strike.

What is even more shocking is the fact that the caretakers in these cow shelters have used JCB machines to bury the carcasses in the shelters itself without opting for post-mortem of the bovines.

UP Minister Moti Singh, who belongs to Pratapgarh, has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

A veterinary doctor in Ayodhya said on condition of anonymity: "The cows in these shelters are left in the open and have to face incessant rains. Since there is no flooring in these shelters, the mud turns into a swamp when it rains continuously and the animals get stuck in it. Shelters that have tin roofs are also poorly maintained and in some cases the roof has been blown away."

Fodder is also not regularly available to cows in the shelter homes and sone of the deaths could be due to starvation, sources said.

The doctor said that burying the carcasses in the shelter home would lead to infections and more deaths in the coming days.

Cow protection has been one of the priorities of the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh and the Chief Minister has directed that shelter homes for stray cows should be set up in all districts.

However, most of the cow shelters are incomplete with only a boundary. Many of them do not even have a roof to keep the animals safe from the vagaries of weather.