Surgeons from Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University were involved in a five-hour long operation to clear 52 kilograms of plastic from the stomach of an ailing cow.
In what could be labelled as a chilling example of undiscerning use of plastic and its disposal, the cow was found to have ingested huge quantities of plastic from the waste that could have proved fatal.
A report by The Hindu said, ¡°the plastic caused severe pain to the animal and was observed to kick its stomach with its legs. Subsequently, the yield of milk also dropped.¡±
The surgeons took close to five and a half hours to surgically remove the plastic from cow¡¯s stomach.
AFP/Representational Image
¡°The incident exemplifies the threat to animals posed by plastics discarded indiscriminately by the public. Even though we have removed plastics from cows in the past, the quantity this time ¡ª 52 kg ¡ª is unprecedented,¡± S Balasubramanian, Director, Clinics at TANUVAS, told The Hindu.
The vets found that plastic occupied 75 per cent of the rumen, one of the four chambers of the cow¡¯s stomach.
Interestingly, for Munirathanam, the owner of the cow, the surgery only cost a mere Rs 70 ¡ª Rs 20 for registration and Rs 50 for the actual surgery.
Plastic has been choking stray animals that look for food in dumpyards. Marine life is in grave danger too. Recycling and substitution is not going to solve the problem of plastic pollution. The need of the hour is to see a focused reduction of plastic production in the first place.