100 cows die in suspected food poisoning in Andhra

HYDERABAD: At least 100 cows died of alleged food poisoning at a gaushala (cowshed) in Kothur Tadepalli village on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Friday night, police

HYDERABAD: At least 100 cows died of alleged food poisoning at a gaushala (cowshed) in Kothur Tadepalli village on the outskirts of Vijayawada on Friday night, police said.

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Another 25 cows that have taken ill are being treated by veterinary doctors from Vijayawada Municipal Corporation at the cowshed. The cause of death has yet to be established but doctors suspect contamination of fodder, the police said.

“We are waiting for the veterinary department to conduct a post-mortem examination. If a conspiracy behind the mass cow deaths is suggested, we will register a case after receiving a formal complaint,” Vijayawada town II inspector of police Mohammad Umar said.

The gaushala had nearly 150 cows, many of which were rescued from being slaughtered and many that were donated by devotees coming to Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada.

Officials in charge of the gaushala told reporters the cows were given fodder around 7 pm. “By 9 pm, the cows started collapsing one after another. I got a call from the watchman around 9.30 that the cows were collapsing. By the time I reached the gaushala, scores of cows were lying dead,” a gaushala committee member, Sahu, said.

The police said 98 cows had been reported dead till now. But the gaushala officials said the toll had touched 100 by 9 am.

The gaushala watchman and the caretaker who gave fodder to the cows have been detained. The police are also scanning closed-circuit television footage to check if any suspicious persons had entered the gaushala in the days leading up to Friday.

The gaushala was first set up near Kanaka Durga temple in Vijayawada but it was relocated to Kothuru Tadepalli on the outskirts two years ago.