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It’s being felt that a comprehensive rehabilitation model may help restore the economic value of stray cows and in the process address the emotive aspect of their protection. It is to be seen if state governments will emulate the process. Abandoned on roads for being unproductive, scores of stray cows brought to the government cattle ponds located at villages Burj Powat, Gadolia and Khokhar Kalan in Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mansa districts of  Punjab  have resumed yielding milk. This has led to poor people of the areas approaching the cattle’s caretakers with the request that they be allowed to take them to their homes with the promise of looking after them. The development is being seen by many in the field as a noticeable opening of a possibility of their rehabilitation in a scenario where the freely roaming hordes of cows are largely being considered a menace for humans. A crude line of thought, that packing them off for slaughtering could be better riddance...

Back in 1993, the spread of the mad cow disease took a toll of many across the globe. As a result, many stopped consuming beef products. However, not eating beef does not guarantee an escape from the disease and infection that comes with abusing the cow. Cattle by-products today find their way into almost everything around us. Gelatine  is made by treating the bones of a cow with acid and finds its way into gel capsules, food products such as jellybeans, marshmallows and instant gelatine; as a setting agent for ice-creams and cheesecakes; as a coat on tablets and even to bind photo film. Fat from the dead cow is used in making soap, toothpaste as well as automobile tyres and also in asphalt. Glycerin derived from cow fat is used in manufacturing cosmetics. In war time, it’s used in the explosive nitroglycerine. Its hooves and horns adorn our shirts as buttons and also make up the foam of fire extinguishers. Its blood goes into making plywood and fertilisers. Its hide becomes le...