Guest guest Posted April 19, 2010 Report Share Posted April 19, 2010 Ha, that one made me laugh out loud. Heck, if urban space is too small, just breed smaller animals! What about mini chickens for mini eggs with just a little cholesterol, and mini goats for smaller, healthier Dashain dinner? What will they think of next... Jigs in Nepal On Apr 19, 2010, at 7:40 AM, AG BABU wrote: > The following is a news report appeared in 'The Hindu' on how Kerala is > going to bring in to the constricted spaces in the urban centres the > magnificent " cow culture " of our nation. Cows can be fed on kitchen waste > and reared like caged birds. > > Recently a leading animal wefarist from Kerala proclaimed in an open forum > that " Cattle and buffaloes of India are factories that convert crop residues > to useful food, fuel, energy and manure " and that " the animal husbandry > practices the Kerala Govt.follows are really models of animal wefarism " . > > Please try to enlighten the Kerala State Govt.and the State Animal Welfare > Board it is sheer cruely and foolishness to implement such projects and do > what we can towards those numerous dwarf cows to be imported and showcased > in an entirely alienated environment, forced to feed on a novel diet > (kitchen waste),stay in a very constricted space (like a caged bird), become > great " Indian factories that convert crop residues to useful food, fuel, > energy and manure " ,in Kerala urban centres and eventually end up in the > slaughter houses. > > > *Dwarf cattle rearing viable in cities * > > Sangeetha Unnithan > > THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Cattle rearing in cities is not a very viable > proposition due to confines of space. But, a group of youngsters here have > turned it into a successful venture by rearing dwarf breeds of cows, a bull > of Kasaragod Dwarf, Malnad Gidda and its cross breed bought from Kasaragod > and Kannur districts. > > Anuraj B of Peroorkada, who along with his friends bought to the city the > heads of cattle, is surprised at their success in rearing the cattle in the > urban milieu. The youngsters who bought the cows out of curiosity are now > planning to form a trust to spread awareness and encourage similar cattle > rearing in the city. > > „We first saw these cows on a trip to Kasaragod. We were surprised by their > size and made enquiries about the breed. We were told that as the cattle > were of small size, it was possible to rear them in urban centres. That is > how we decided to buy them,'' said Mr. Anuraj. > > Need little fodder > > With a height of less than 95 cm and almost equal length, these cows, which > cost nearly Rs.7,000 for a fully grown one, look like an overgrown goat and > can easily fit into the confines of an average urban household. They require > very little fodder compared to breeds of normal size. Apparently, they do > not require any extra cattle fodder and can survive on kitchen waste and > hay, yielding up to 2.5 litres of milk a day. > > They are also highly immune to diseases and have a lifespan of around 10 > calving. > > „When you consider its milk yield, these breeds may not be ideal for dairy > farming. But the milk yield from one cow of this breed is enough for the > daily requirement of an average urban family. So it is the guarantee of > getting pure unadulterated milk and the pleasure of cattle rearing that > comes with these breeds,'' said veterinarian Jacob Alexander. > > Medicinal use > > He said the only perceptible difficulty would be in breeding these cattle as > the scope of artificial insemination for dwarf breeds is less. Another > interesting feature of these breeds is that their urine and dung have high > medicinal value. The cattle urine is used for treating skin diseases in > Ayurvedic medicine while the dung is nutritious manure for plants. > > „When we visited houses in Kasaragod and Kannur districts to buy these cows, > we found that its urine was collected and sold to Ayurvedic pharmacists at > Rs.160 a litre. Farmers in these regions also buy the dung of these cows,'' > Mr. Anuraj said. > > The Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat has already initiated a scheme to > encourage rearing of dwarf cattle breeds in rural households in the > district. Mr. Anuraj and his friends are trying to prove that the same is > possible in the city as well. > > > --- > > For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at: aapn > Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at aapn > AAPN is not responsible for and does not necessarily endorse the opinions/inputs of the contributors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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