Millions of cattle roam India's streets. While many are "community owned" or abandoned after their milking years, they face severe challenges: traffic accidents, lack of grazing, and the silent killer—plastic ingestion.

Indian Street Cow

The Urban Reality

Why are they on the streets?

  • Abandonment: Non-milking cows and male calves (nandi) are often turned out by dairies.
  • Foraging: Owners let them loose to find food during the day.
  • Loss of Pasture: Urban expansion has eaten up traditional grazing lands.

Did You Know? Cows have a complex 4-chambered stomach (Rumen being the largest) designed to digest grass, not garbage.

The Plastic Crisis

The Silent Killer: Hungry cows forage in garbage dumps. They eat plastic bags that smell like food leftovers.

  • Plastic accumulates in the rumen and never digests.
  • It forms hard masses (polythene stones).
  • A single cow can carry 50-80 kg of plastic in its stomach.

Result:
Slow Starvation & Painful Death

NEVER throw food scraps in plastic bags using knots.

Safe Feeding Guidelines

If you wish to feed stray cattle, please follow these rules to ensure their health:

YES

  • Green Fodder: Fresh grass, spinach, vegetable peels.
  • Fresh Water: Crucial in summer (a cow needs 40-60L daily).
  • Jaggery (Gur): Small amounts as an energy booster.
  • Soaked Chana: Healthy protein source.

NO

  • Rotten Food: Causes food poisoning.
  • Cooked/Oily Food: Difficult to digest.
  • Breads/Biscuits: Low nutrition, high sugar.
  • Plastic Packaging: Always remove wrappers.

Common Emergencies

  • Road Accidents: Cows are hard to see at night. Use reflectors (radium collars) if your NGO provides them.
  • Maggot Wounds: Small cuts can become infested. Needs immediate antiseptic spray.
  • Acid Attacks: Unfortunately common when cows wander into shops.
Gaushala

Support a Gaushala

Gaushalas (shelters) are often overcrowded and underfunded. Donating fodder or volunteering is more effective than feeding on streets.

Find a Gaushala