A six-year-old cow chewed on explosive-laden fodder and had its mouth and lower jaw blown off leaving it in extreme trauma at Bettadabeedu village in H.D. Kote taluk of Mysuru district.
The incident – reminiscent of the episode involving an elephant that suffered similar injuries and died in a lake in Kerala recently – took place on Monday. It also brings to the fore the prevalence of this inhumane method of stopping crop destruction by wild animals or to hunt wild boars for meat. In the process, other animals too tend to get injured and meet a grisly end.
Left to graze
The cow belonged to Narasimhe Gowda, who had left it to graze in the reserve forest that is about 1 km from the village. He said it is a scrub forest frequented by wild boars. Leopards too are sighted occasionally given the availability of prey.
The incident came to light when the cowherd tending to the animals heard an explosion and saw the cow profusely bleeding through what remained of its mouth and face. It is suspected that the explosive-ladden fodder was used as a bait to draw wild boars and kill them for meat but the identity of those responsible is yet to be ascertained.
People For Animals (PFA) in Mysuru received information about the incident and immediately sent a team led by veterinarian Dr. Amardeep Singh to assist the animal in trauma. Dr. Singh said the cow suffered severe injuries and the damage to its organs was extensive. The tongue and the jaw were blown to smithereens while the larynx was severely damaged. Given the extent of injury, the chance of survival was very low, he said.
When contacted, Mr. Gowda said he planned to file a complaint. The animal was euthanised late in the night.
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