Residents raise concern over rising number of Stray Cattle on Noida streets

With the rising number of stray cattle roaming freely on the streets of Noida, residents of the city have raised concerns, citing issues of safety during commute. As per the Noida authority, there are nearly 2,000 stray cows on the streets of the city. Animal activists, however, peg the number at around 5,000 based on a rough estimate made during the lockdown. Additionally, the forest department, in its 2019 animal census, noted that there are at least 217 “feral cows” in the city that are born out of abandoned cattle on the roads.

Both officials and animal welfare organisations associate the rising number of stray cattle to the practice of abandonment by their owners because of old age and diseases. Meanwhile, residents of the city have complained to the authority regarding the number of accidents that have taken place due to the presence of stray cattle.

“Accidents are happening on a regular basis. Last year, a mother and son died in accident because of stray cattle,” said Amit Gupta, a social activist and a resident of Sector 77.

“There are certain accident-prone areas like those along the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway or near Sector 137, where the presence of cattle has made commuting unsafe. The roads are narrow and there are plenty of U-turns and diversions. Cows suddenly appear out of nowhere, leading to accidents” said Ankit Mishra, a resident of Sector-97, Noida. According to animal welfare organisations said at least five to six calls are received on a daily basis, reporting injuries to cattle.

“We get at least six to seven calls, reporting cows being hit by vehicles. No driver would ever hit a large animal willingly. On many occasions, drivers of such vehicles are also injured,” said Kaveri Rana, district head, People for Animal (PFA).

Sanjay Mahapatra, who runs the city-based NGO, House of the Animals, said, most of the cows he rescued during the lockdown seemed to have been abandoned due to old age. “Since we don’t have enough facility to accommodate so many cows, we have requested the Noida authority’s cow shelter. However even they lack adequate infrastructure,” he said.

Officials of the Noida Authority said that they are expanding their infrastructure to accommodate more cows. “Two new sheds of five acres each have been approved that are capable of holding 1,000 cows and 1,000 bulls and oxen each. We are currently looking for land for the same,” said SC Mishra, Project Engineer (Health), Noida authority.

According to the officials, the authority’s existing cowshed in Setor-135 houses 748 cattle as against the capacity to hold 532 animals. Out of 748 animals, over 400 are cows.

“Most of these animals have been abandoned by their owners. We are currently spending ₹60,000 per day on feeding these animals. There is another private cowshed in Sector-94 but even that is filled to its capacity. Currently, there are 11 sheds in Sector-135 and within a month, two more sheds will be added to accommodate more stray animals,” said Dr Abhishek Dabar, a veterinary doctor at a Sector -135 cow shed.

Citing lack of money by owners to feed their cattle as the main reason for their abandonment, Dabar stressed that more investment is required to ensure the welfare of domestic animals.

“Poor nutrition is a leading cause of diseases among cattle. At least 70% of the domesticated cattle are either suffering from mastitis or infertility, due to which the productivity drops, forcing owners to abandon them. Many abandoned cattle we bought here did not have their ruminal microflora developed. This means that they were not given proper straw to eat and only grazed on whatever they could find. After administering medication and ensuring nutrition, about 65 cows at our shed are now producing milk,” Dabar added.

Read: Energy Requirements In Dairy Cows

Source: The article is extracted from HindustanTimes, September 01, 2020.