71kg of waste found in stray cow’s stomach
Indian vets have extracted 71 kilograms (156.5 pounds) of plastic, nails and other garbage from a pregnant cow, but both the animal and her baby died.
The case has highlighted the country's twin problems of pollution and stray cattle. An estimated five million cows roam India's cities, with many gorging on the vast amounts of plastic litter on the streets.
This cow was rescued after a road accident in late February by the People For Animals Trust Faridabad.
A vet soon noticed the pregnant bovine was struggling.
In a four-hour operation on February 21, vets found nails, plastic, marbles and other garbage in its stomach, said trust president Ravi Dubay.
They also attempted a premature delivery.
"The baby did not have enough space to grow in her mother's belly so she died," Dubay told AFP.
Three days later, the cow also died.
"In my 13 years of experience, this is the most garbage we have taken from a cow... we had to use muscle power to get it all out," Dubay said.
Previous surgeries done by the organisation based in the northern Indian state of Haryana have found up to 50 kilograms of waste in cows' stomachs.
There is no official, nationwide data on how many cows die every year from ingesting plastic.
But in 2017, a Times of India report cited veterinary officials and animal welfare groups estimating that around 1,000 cows die annually just in the northern city of Lucknow from eating plastic.
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