The Sheltering of Unwanted Cattle, Experiences in India and Implications for Cattle Industries Elsewhere

The cow has evolved to become one of the most important symbols of Hindu identity, often synonymous with religious or nationalistic sentiment and pride. The issue of protecting and revering the cow has been the cause of much unrest, violence and vigilantism; this continues to be the case even in the present day. Nowadays the law bans cow-slaughter in a majority of Indian States. A direct result of these anti-slaughter laws is a large population of abandoned, aged or otherwise unproductive cattle housed in cattle-shelters that often face inadequacy of space, infrastructure, skilled labour and lack of financial and veterinarian support. Many members of the Indian community do not necessarily look upon this phenomenon negatively, since they view historical events spanning three millennia of Indian history from the perspective of cow-symbolism. We discuss the moral, social and welfare ramifications of this unique phenomenon of nationwide animal worship and protection, exploring whether such strategies could find application in the Western milk, meat and egg production context