Vegetarian lions and carnivorous cows

[Guest guest]

HI

 

I hadn't meant it to imply anything, the post was merely of interest. I

certainly do not think cows are carnivores, nor hippopotamus who are

herbivores but have been known to eat other animals.

 

(For a youtube vid of a hippo eating a buffalo view here:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp-0BtK1zIk)

 

I suppose there are no clear cut answers to anything in nature.

 

2009/1/1

 

> Hello Kerry,

> I read your post on the vegetarian lion with great interest

> and agree with you that it may well be true. But what does it imply? Take a

> look at this news item about a carnivorous cow that ate 48 chickens. Does

> it

> prove that cows are carnivores? Do let me know your thoughts.

> Trust you are well and that your campaigns are progressing smoothly.

> Best wishes and kind regards,

>

>

> http://www.upperitaly.net/index.php?id=114

> Carnivorous Cow Gobbles 48 Chickens

> Slipping out for a box of McNuggets

>

> Since we entered into some unworthy speculation a few weeks ago about

> Indian

> sacred cows – that was *(here)*

> <http://www.upperitaly.net/index.php?id=108>– we feel it is necessary

> to follow up with an important piece of news on

> the subject that has recently appeared in " The Scotsman " under the

> encyclopedic title: " Carnivorous cow gobbles up 48 chickens. "

>

> According to the Edinburgh paper –

> *(here)*<http://news.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=367932007>,

> at least for the moment – " When dozens of chickens went missing from a

> remote West Bengal village, everyone blamed the neighbourhood dogs. But

> Ajit

> Ghosh, the owner of the missing poultry, eventually solved the puzzle when

> he caught his cow – a sacred animal for the Hindu family – gobbling up

> several of them at night. "

>

> Anxious to get to the bottom of the matter, Ajit and his brother Gour Ghosh

> had staked out the chicken house and, according to Gour: " Instead of the

> dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal,

> sneaked to the coop and grabbed the little ones with the precision of a

> jungle cat. "

>

> We are of course charmed by the idea of a sacred cow padding about in the

> dark " with the precision of a jungle cat " and pouncing hungrily on

> chickens.

> Veterinarians believe all this has to do with some kind of dietary

> deficiency, but neighborhood thinkers apparently incline to the theory that

> the animal may have been a tiger in a previous reincarnation.

>

> The Scottish newspaper's readers, being of course Scots, had another take

> on

> the matter. One wrote: " Mibbe the cow wis pregnant…mibbe it wis a cravin

> like eh?....mibbe animals git cravins anaw whin thir preggers….? "

>

>

>

> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1733848.cms?ticker=1

>

> Calf chews on raw chicken

> 8 Mar 2007, 0256 hrs IST, REUTERS

> Print<

> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1733848,prtpage-1.cms>

> Email <javascript:openWindowmail('/mail/1733848.cms');> Discuss

> Share<javascript:void(0)>

> Save <javascript:showdivlayer('1733848','t','close');>

> Comment<

> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1733848.cms?ticker=1#write>

> Text:

> KOLKATA: When Ajit Ghosh staked out his small poultry farm to find out

> why his chickens were going missing mysteriously, he was not prepared for

> the

> sight that awaited him — it wasn't a dog but his calf that was chewing up

> the chickens raw, bones and all. The calf has gobbled up at least 48

> chickens in a month.

>

> Though veterinary experts say a mineral deficiency could have turned the

> cow

> carnivorous, villagers believe the calf — fondly named Lal by Ajit — was a

> tiger in his previous birth. " We were shocked to see our calf eating

> chickens alive, " Ghosh said. The bizarre incident happened in Chandpur, a

> remote village in Bankura.When dozens of chickens went missing, everyone

> blamed the neighbourhood dogs.

>

> Ajit and his family decided to stand guard all night on Monday at the cow

> shed which also served as his small poultry. " Instead of the dogs, we

> watched in horror as the calf sneaked up to the coop and grabbed little

> chicks with the precision of a jungle cat, " Gour Ghosh, his brother, said.

>

> Local television pictures showed the cow grabbing and eating a chicken in

> seconds and a vet confirmed the case. " We think lack of vital minerals in

> the body is causing this behaviour. We have examined the calf and asked

> doctors to look into the case immediately, " said district veterinary

> officer

> Mihir Satpathy.

>

> " This strange behaviour is possible in some exceptional cases, " Satpathy

> added. Hundreds of villagers flocked to Chandpur on Wednesday to catch a

> glimpse of Lal enjoying his bundle of green grass, for a change. " The local

> vets tell us the cow probably suffers from a disease. But if you believe

> the

> villagers, Lal was a tiger in his previous birth, " Ajit said.

>

>

>