Plastic ingestion killing cows

Vanasthalipuram: Cows foraging for food into the city are a common sight. Dairy farmers, once cows and buffaloes stop giving milk, do not feed the animals but let them roam freely about streets in search of fodder.

With the city drowning in mounds of plastic, cows are choking to death due to consumption of food along with plastic covers. According to veterinarians, close to a dozen cows die every month across the city due to indigestion.

“On an average we treat 25-30 goats and 3-5 cows. In several instances, the problem lies in these animals consuming plastic. Animals often die a slow and painful death due to digestion problems,” says Dr Ananda Reddy, a veterinary doctor in government veterinary hospital in Hayathnagar. “They can’t eat more than 2 kg of fodder after consuming plastic. They will have digestion problem and their breath will be choked,” said Mahipal, a milk vendor.

Cows which eat plastic will not be able to eat proper food after that. Plastic in cow’s system affects milk production. When a cow doesn’t give proper milk, it is abandoned by their owners. It eventually dies of starvation.

Madhulika Deshpande of Save Animals, an NGO, says, “The GHMC needs to have a proper plastic management plan. There isn’t any. Half of the waste that is generated in the city comprises plastic.”