We Vegeterian People

Author(s): Atul Doshi
Publisher: Atul Doshi

Page 20

16
In the life of Cows and Buffaloes...
Why do buffaloes not wander on the streets like the cows? Is it not worth giving a thought to?
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Cows are wandering on the streets because they have lived their useful life and they are no more producing milk. No one needs them and they are left to eating waste and plastics. There is a legal ban on cow slaughter in many states of India and therefore cows are left to fend for themselves on streets.
However, unfortunately, buffaloes are given no legal protection from
slaughter, so their transfer from the dairy to the slaughterhouse is direct.
Both are living beings, then why the different laws?
In India, export of cow meat is banned but some people are breaking this law. Officials of Animal Husbandry Department admit that many a times
'cow meat' is exported by labelling it as 'buffalo meat' and when it reaches overseas destination, then the label is changed back to 'cow meat'.
We often read newspaper reports about - trucks carrying cow meat seized by the police in one or the other part of country where cow slaughter is legally banned. We also get news of police taking possession of animals being illegally transported to slaughter houses.
We read these news and feel sorry about it, but we never think about the source of animals to illegal slaughter houses who do not breed these animals. In fact, we have used milk of these animals. Once the animals stop giving milk, they are sold for slaughter. Aren't we liable for this? Who takes care of those animals whose utility for milk is over?
Many a times, we do charities for 'freeing animals from butchers,' but isn't it our fault that these animals reach there? Animals would never land up at the door of a slaughterhouse if we take care of them.
We need to go to the root of the problem. It is very easy to blame others.