Rabid cow gores man to death, many hurt
Bovine knocks over zoo official before being trapped
A rabid cow gored a 65year-old man to death and injured the deputy director of the Nehru Zoological Park and several others in Pahadishareef on Thursday. It took a team from the Pahadishareef police, 24 staffers of the CRPF, and Jalpally municipality officials to immobilise and capture the animal.
The deceased, Khaja,
65, a local resident, was attacked by the cow which then ran into a nearby bushy area. It later slammed into Dr M.A. Hakeem, the zoo deputy director, and ran
over him, leaving him unconscious for a few minutes.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Hakeem said the zoo received a call regarding the cow at about 1 pm, following which an eight-member team left to catch it.
“By the time we arrived, the cow had killed a man. It took us an hour to search for the animal and the teams took position to administer the tranquiliser dart. I was standing with other officials facing the animal at a distance. Once the tranquiliser hit it, the cow ran in our direction. Before anyone could react, it dashed into me,” Dr Hakeem said.
He was knocked out for a few minutes and his colleagues took him to a hospital where he was examined and found to be suffering from minor bruises. “I have tracked and tranquilised leopards, bears and other animals but never was attacked. But a cow got me,” Dr Hakeem said. After the dart hit the cow, it went down in about 30 minutes after which it was trussed up and sent to the GHMC animal shelter at Jiyaguda.
“It was a risky operation because the cow was running helter skelter. We learnt that the cow was bitten by a rabid dog and we suspect it is suffering from the disease that could explain the way it was acting,” he said.