Move over tigers, cow sanctuaries planned
What do cows and tigers have in common? In India, quite a lot apparently - at least according to the government.
Officials in the ruling Hindu nationalist party have previously proposed dropping the tiger as the country’s national animal and replacing it with the cow. Now the government has announced plans to establish cow sanctuaries, similar to tiger reserves, to protect the sacred animals amid resurgent Hindu radicalism.
Modelled on Project Tiger, the conservation project established by India in the 1970s that has helped to save the Bengal tiger from extinction, Narendra Modi’s administration has revealed that it wants to institute Project Cow.
Frustrated tourists who spend a small fortune visiting tiger reserves without catching a glimpse of one will soon have an alternative. In cow reserves they are much more likely to be lucky in spotting the animals - they will not be camouflaged, stealthy or endangered.
The proposal comes after violence, strikes and a renewed frenzy of nationalist fervour around India’s beef laws in recent weeks. Hardliners have demanded greater protection for the cow, which is considered sacred by Hindus. A bill proposing the death penalty for illegally slaughtering a cow was recently put to parliament.
Hansraj Ahir, India’s minister of state for home affairs, said: "We need to stop cow slaughter, but the biggest stumbling block is who will take care of these cows? We need to make cow sanctuaries for this."
Several states have introduced more draconian laws governing the slaughter of cows and consumption of beef since Mr Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept into office in 2014. Stirring allegations of religious discrimination, BJP officials have suggested that Indian Muslims should renounce eating beef or leave the country.
Gangs of "cow protection" vigilantes have emerged across northern India, stopping lorries to search for smuggled beef. A Muslim dairy farmer carrying legal buffalo meat was beaten to death in northern Rajasthan last month, the latest victim in a string of murders by the vigilantes.