Cow shelter backs Goa Minister's"cattle turning non-vegetarian" remark

After the Goa Garbage Management Minister Michael Lobo’s statement that stray cattle in the state were turning non-vegetarian, the cow shelter where such cattle are being treated has confirmed this. The president of Gomantak Gosevak Mahasangh, Kamlakant Tari, maintained that cattle did not eat chicken or mutton willingly. He also stated that the left-over food fed to the strays contained a mixture of vegetables and chicken bones. Furthermore, Tari revealed that such bones were found in the digestive system of the cows on inspection by the shelter’s veterinarians.  

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Tari said, “Desi cattle do not eat chicken or mutton willingly. Hotels and restaurants in the Calangute area mix their left-over vegetables, cooked rice along with chicken and mutton bones, which is then fed to strays." He added, "Such things enter their digestive system by mistake when they eat meals served to them by coastal restaurants and beach shacks in the Calangute-Candolim beach belt. When we operated on the cattle, we found bones in the stomachs of the cattle." 

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'We always say cattle are vegetarian'

Earlier, Lobo who is also a BJP Member of Legislative Assembly claimed that stray cattle now ate only scraps of chicken and fried fish. He stated that 76 such cattle had been sent for treatment to wean them off their meat fetish. Alleging that their system had become like humans, he mentioned that the cattle would take 4 to 5 days to turn vegetarian.  

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"We have lifted 76 cattle from Calangute and taken them to the gaushala run by the Gomantak Gosevak Mahasangh in Mayem village, where they are being well looked after. We always say cattle are vegetarian. But cattle from Calangute have turned non-vegetarian and do not eat grass, gram or the special cattle feed given to them," Lobo observed. He elaborated, "Specialist veterinarians have been roped in by the gaushala to medically treat the cattle with medicine. It will take them four to five days to turn them into vegetarians once again.” 

(With ANI inputs)

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