Protectors of India's Cows Seek Extra Help

November 9, 2002

NEW DELHI, INDIA, November 7, 2002: Home to 200 million cows, India has banned

their killing everywhere except Kerala and some northeastern states.

In August 2001, the Central Government established a National Commission for

Cattle to suggest ways of improving their condition, especially cows. The

commission recommended that a Rapid Cow Protection Force on the lines of other

paramilitary forces be instituted, which can operate on an all-India

basis for prevention of cow slaughter.

The commission's report said those who slaughter cows or smuggle them to

Bangladesh, Kerala and illegal slaughterhouses should be booked under the

Prevention of Terrorism Act. It recommended a ban on crossbreeding involving

imported cattle like Jersey. Indigenous breeds should be encouraged and import

of cattle prohibited (because the imported breeds are not well adapted to

India's conditions).

Many people believe that making cow slaughter illegal would just move the

industry underground, resulting in more cruelty towards the animals. The

recommendations also further worry the leather industry, which is worth US$4

billion and employs thousands of people. Many retailers like Gap, Donna Karan,

and Timberland already refuse to buy Indian leather because of protests by

animal rights groups against the ill treatment of cattle in India and their

brutal killing in slaughterhouses. There are others who believe that the leather

industry would be on the brink of disaster if the government accepts the

recommendations of the commission.

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