Stray Cattle In Goa Eating Only Scraps Of Chicken And Fish!  Why?

Cow Cattle in Goa's popular beach villages like Calangute and Candolim are turning into non-vegetarians and consuming garbage as these places receive highest number of tourists. These villages have a high density of restaurants and eateries. As a result the cattle land is also being occupied by humans.

According to reports, the two villages also have a high concentration of cattle. Stray cattle have been a menace on Goa's roads from past two decades due to various factors like increase in vehicular density, poor street lighting, low agricultural interest among the residents of Goa and the owners who abandon the cattle when they are advanced in age and unproductive.

It is strange that the cow cattle in North Goa are only surviving by consuming scraps of chicken and fried fish.

The state's Garbage Management Minister, Michael Lobo claimed that, the cattle is mainly depending on garbage and waste food thrown away by nearby restaurants and eateries. He said that around 80 stray cattle from Calangute village are sent to Gaushala and were refusing to eat grains and fodder.

"We have lifted 76 cattle from Calangute and taken them to the gaushala run by the Gomantak Gosevak Mahasang in Mayem village, where they are being well looked after. We always say cattle are vegetarian. But cattle from Calangute have turned vegetarian and do not eat grass, gram or the special cattle feed given to them," Lobo said to a daily.

He also added that due to the consumption of non-vegetarian food, cattle's digestive system is becoming like that of humans.
"Earlier they were vegetarian, pure vegetarian. They would smell non-vegetarian food and move on, but now cattle from Calangute only eat non-vegetarian food, he said.

However, the cattle is under treatment by specialist veterinarians by providing them with medicine. They will be turning back as vegetarians in four or five days.

Goa government should take a strict action against this severe issue and also avoid constructing restaurants and eateries for tourists in the natural habitats of cattle and animals.

On the other hand, the number of accidents on Goa roads  have increased in recent times due to stray cattle. Concerned with this, the Goa government had launched a special scheme to address the issue in 2013, which involved providing incentives to village panchayats and municipal bodies to impound stray cattle and fine their owners.

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