BHARATA BHARATI

“More than a dozen cows and calves have died of starvation in the last few days. A cow and calf died on Friday morning. The temple authorities cleared the carcasses before we reached the shed. We found two carcasses of calves buried on the premises. We dug out the carcasses of a calf that died yesterday in the presence of district veterinary officials and sent it for post-mortem examinations. The carcass of another calf that died a week ago was completely decomposed,” Hindu Munnani’s Tiruvannamalai district president T. S. Sankar told TOI.

The activists shifted a terminally ill cow and two calves to the Arunachala Animal Sanctuary and Rescue Shelter for immediate medical care and attention.

“Two calves were so thin and too weak to even move. One was a three-year-old cow that had a large wound under its tail. The wound was healing but the cow was not eating. We hope that undernourished cow and calves will survive,” said rescue shelter founder-director Leslie Robinson from the United States, who settled in India 18 years ago.

The issue came to light after the activists launched a series of protests on Wednesday, forcing the district administration to send a team from the animal husbandry department to inspect the animals and the facility at the cowshed maintained by the temple.

The activists who inspected the facility in the presence of district officials found 105 cows in the shed that lacked basic facilities. They also found that the care-taking was inadequate. There was only one caretaker and an assistant for all the animals. “All the animals are seriously undernourished. The animals have lost the ability to chew well. Moreover, food stocked is sufficient for just 15 adult cows,” said rescue shelter veterinary doctor R. Rajasekaran.

The activists alleged that the temple authorities, in an effort to bury the incident, donated 36 cows on Thursday to the members of self-help groups. This was in violation of a high court order which barred temple managements to donate cows.

Devotees donate cows and calves to the temple to fulfil their vows. The devotees have to deposit Rs 10,000 per cow while donating and the temple management utilises the funds to feed the animals. However, the temple management did not utilise the funds to feed the animals, charged Sankar.

However, Paranjyothi, joint commissioner, Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment, denied incidents of starvation deaths of cows and calves. “We took sick animals to veterinary hospital for treatment. A few groups, to gain cheap publicity, have taken some pictures charging that we are transporting dead animals to dump the carcasses elsewhere,” Paranjyothi said.

Meanwhile, CPR Environmental Education Centre honorary director Nanditha Krishna sent memorandums to chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, chief secretary Sheela Balakrishnan and principal secretary (tourism culture and religious endowments) R. Kannan seeking their immediate intervention to save the cows and calves. – Times of India, 18 October 2013