A recent visit to some villages was an eye-opener - something I could do without. There was much ado about how many of the women in the groups bought cows from a loan advanced to them to enhance the family income by selling milk which was in high demand.
Of course, the women were below poverty line and it is definitely a good idea. Then I met a vet in the centre who kept talking about artificial insemination, and I couldn't make the link except in the most basic way.
But it shocked me when I started talking to a beneficiary and realised that all cows are impregnated with the semen of Jersey bulls through artificial insemination. The bulls born of such mating are sold to the abettoir while the cows are retained. Since Jersey could not survive in the Indian tropical temperature, this has been the method adopted to improve milk production.
The net result, the local bulls - with mechanisation of farming and transportation - have become redundant for farmers and non farmers. It is only good as beef. And the cow only feels an injection inserted when she is in heat.
Somehow, this seems like another case of animal cruelty to me. Is it fair to prevent the cows from mating in the natural way just for our selfish needs? Would the milk produced from a local cow not be enough? Or even if it is not, can't we humans reduce our requirements instead of again denaturalising the entire process?
As I travelled through the villages, I could only think the only answer to all environmental problems is to remove man from the equation. The rest of the animals and plant world will prosper much better.
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