Field notes

Cattle chaos: Indian farmers make their problem 'herd'

Laws forbidding the slaughter of cows have resulted in large numbers of stray herds grazing and trampling on crops

Cows are considered sacred in India by most Hindus. Vigilante groups have attacked and killed people in the name of cow protection, nearly stopping the nationwide practice of selling unwanted cattle for slaughter. But the high cost of holding on to u
Cows are considered sacred in India by most Hindus. Vigilante groups have attacked and killed people in the name of cow protection, nearly stopping the nationwide practice of selling unwanted cattle for slaughter. But the high cost of holding on to unwanted cattle has led many farmers to simply abandon the animals. ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
Cows are considered sacred in India by most Hindus. Vigilante groups have attacked and killed people in the name of cow protection, nearly stopping the nationwide practice of selling unwanted cattle for slaughter. But the high cost of holding on to u
Mr Bijender Vikal (above), a farmer in Mahawad whose crops have been damaged by stray cattle. He and his fellow farmers publicised their plight by locking about 70 stray cattle in a local government-run school. ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
Mr Bijender Vikal (above), a farmer in Mahawad whose crops have been damaged by stray cattle. He and his fellow farmers publicised their plight by locking about 70 stray cattle in a local government-run school (below).
Mr Bijender Vikal, a farmer in Mahawad whose crops have been damaged by stray cattle. He and his fellow farmers publicised their plight by locking about 70 stray cattle in a local government-run school (above). ST PHOTO: DEBARSHI DASGUPTA
Debarshi Dasgupta
India Correspondent
Updated
Apr 01, 2019, 01:54 PM
Published
Mar 16, 2019, 05:00 AM
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GAUTAM BUDH NAGAR (Uttar Pradesh) • For many years, the only uninvited guests on Mr Bijender Vikal's farm were winter migratory birds. They included storks and cranes that would wade harmlessly through his field, feeding on insects and rodents.

For the last few years, though, he has been busy fending off visitors of an unwelcome, destructive kind: stray cattle.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 16, 2019, with the headline Cattle chaos: Indian farmers make their problem 'herd' . Subscribe

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