Sardarpur (Madhya Pradesh): A creative initiative was launched by a cow shelter in Sardarpur tehsil to save cows from smugglers by purchasing them directly from cattle markets before they fall into the hands of illicit traders.
Gopal Krishna Gaushala in Khutpala, the largest among 12 cow shelters in the tehsil, currently cares for 980 cows.
The management committee learned that smugglers buy cows from markets in Dhar, Jhabua and Alirajpur and kill them for body parts trade.
The committee made the decision that cow devotees should go to these markets and buy cows before smugglers can in order to combat this.
Along with encouraging people to divert funds from pointless spending to the purchase of cows for the shelter, they also started going to marriage and funeral ceremonies in various communities.
The initiative has shown quick results. In the first month, the gaushala purchased five cows from Rajgarh cattle market using shelter funds.
The Hemraj Dhaneria family from Bhopawar bought five cows during a funeral ceremony, while Shankarlal from Badchhapra village in Ratlam district purchased five more.
Within just one month, 15 cows were rescued and brought to safety. With increasing public participation, the campaign is currently expanding to neighbouring villages.
The shelter has a capacity for 5,000 cows and aims to rescue an additional 4,000 before expanding the campaign to the remaining 11 shelters in Sardarpur tehsil.
