Berhampur: After several instances of polythene bags being swallowed by stray cows, sharp blade and injection syringe needle have been extracted from the mouth of two bovines in Berhampur city of Odisha’s Ganjam district.
According to sources, a journalist of a local TV channel found a cow bleeding profusely from mouth in the campus of MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur late Saturday night. He immediately dialled 1962 for Veterinary Hospital ambulance. But the attendant replied that they have no night service.
“I even requested Livestock Inspectors to treat the injured cow, but they refused to attend on the plea that they were ill. I then informed another local scribe and animal lover Lalatendu Chowdhury who coordinated the treatment of the injured cow,” said the journalist.
Lalatendu contacted Manoranjan Sabat, an animal activist who has been treating the helpless animals through an NGO for the last seven years, over phone. Lalatendu came to the spot and with the help of a physician of MKCG Hospital, pulled out a sharp blade from the mouth of the stray cow.
It took them about 10 minutes to extract the blade which was stuck in between the tongue and the teeth of the cow, said Manoranjan. The condition of the cow has improved, he added.
In a similar incident, Lalatendu had pulled out the needle of an injection syringe that pierced through the upper jaw of a cow in MKCG hospital campus about 7 months ago. The cow was bleeding severely and was not able to eat, said Lalatendu.
It may be noted that veterinary surgeon and his team in Ganjam District Veterinary Office had found polythene bags weighing 15 kg inside a cow’s stomach in April last year. The cow was lying in Bidyanagar near Courtpeta Square for two days with a swelling stomach and was not able to stand up.
The animal lovers have expressed their concern over increasing incidents of cows eating dangerous and toxic medical waste in the MKCG Medical campus.
