Generally, the trend of smearing chilly in the eyes hails from Andhra Pradesh
Group of NGO's rescue cattle that were being illegally trafficked to Kerala on Saturday in Coimbatore. (Photo: DC)
COIMBATORE: As many as 147 cattle which were transported in five trucks without licence were rescued at the L&T Bypass road in Coimbatore city on Saturday. All the cattle had chilly powder rubbed against their eyes so that they don’t try to sit down. “We found them in such a pathetic condition. Their heads and legs were tied.
Generally, the trend of smearing chilly in the eyes hails from Andhra Pradesh. Unfortunately, we couldn’t rescue a one-year-old calf. One of them had lost a horn because they were so closely tied to each other,” said Maitreyi Vasudevan from Incare, an animal-rights NGO.
The rescue operation was carried out by the group of NGOs: Indian Centre for Animal Rights and Education (INCARE), People for Animals (PFA) and Gau Gyan Foundation — and the cattle were handed over to the Sulur police station.
“We were informed by our local volunteers about the high-trafficking of cattle on the Pollachi-Kerala route. So, we went and caught a few trucks starting at about 12.15 am and the rescue operation went on for close to two hours,” said Maitreyi. The rescued cattle included cows, buffaloes, bulls and also newborn calves. The trucks were from Andhra Pradesh and various pats of Tamil Nadu like Thanjavur, Salem, Coimbatore, Pollachi, and Tirupur where illegal slaughtering and trafficking of cattle is rampant.
As per norms, more than six cattle cannot be transported in a truck. They are not supposed to close the truck completely and pack them like goods, leaving tiny holes
just to breathe. The cattle should be given water and food during the journey.
“Pregnant cows are high in demand in Kerala,” said Maitreyi. From Coimbatore, at least 50 to 100 cattle loaded in trucks illegally are transported to Kerala every week. A business of '5,000 crore happens every year alone from Tamil Nadu.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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