Cow's Ecological importance

This article states the ecological importance of cow. Anthropologist Marvin Harris analyzed the ecological importance of cow. Through this article we are trying to understand historical angle of cow’s ecological value ability.

Cows in the rural areas are maintained for producing bullocks rather than for milk. Female buffalos are considered to be better dairy animal than cows. Cows are used for traction, plowing and transport largely. Cow dung is mostly used in India as domestic fuel.           In villages cow’s horns, skin is largely used by untouchable caste. Also to gain proteins cow was the only source for the untouchables. The majority of the Indian cow obtain their requirements from whatever grazing is available from straw and stalk and other residues from human foodstuffs, and are starved seasonally in the dry months when grasses wither. Depends on economical gain of cow usefulness and uselessness is decided. Too old cows and buffaloes are not treated cruelly all the time but to starve and same treatment with young male buffaloes.

It is evident from the history of anti-slaughter agitation and legislation in India that more than ahimsa has been required to protect Indian cow from premature demise. Unfortunately, this legislation is misinterpreted and frequently cited as evidence of anti-economic effect of Hinduism.

Useless cows (economically unimportant), male buffaloes are ecologically unimportant for the farmers. Hence farmers used to sell them to butchers. So without selling such animals no other option left for farmers. Ahimsa principle has been used towards cows to maintain its usability, ecological importance and respect towards cow not to make it political agenda.

But as we dig out in history, Butchers and Englishmen were cow-eaters hence cow’s ecological importance and sustainability becomes issue for countrymen. During colonialism period, political importance of ahimsa becomes more intelligible.

Not to Protestants but to Hindus Gandhi addressed weeping concerning the cow: How we bleed her to take the last drop of milk from her, how we starve her to emaciation, how we ill-treat the calves, how we deprive them of their portion of milk, how cruelly we treat the oxen, how we castrate them, how we beat them, how we overload them. . . . I do not know that the condition of the cattle in any other part of the world is as bad as in unhappy India.

As I have mentioned in my previous article that I am not trying to put my views over the issue but trying to make understand the concept. I have been trying to understand the authors, anthropologist’s say on the concept to understand history in better way and in simple words.