Alwar: A cow shelter in Rajasthan has come under the limelight because of its unique measures to protect and save the bovines amid the scorching heatwaves sizzling the country. The Sarvajanik Gaushala located on the Station Road in Alwar treats cows as humans by providing them with coolers and fans in this hot summer.
Accommodating 650 livestock, the facility here serves watermelons, cucumbers, cooling fruits and vegetables to keep them calm and refreshed. Manager Radheshyam told ETV Bharat said that this shelter was established on seven bighas of land after King Durjan Singh of Alwar donated a cow here.
After its establishment, the shelter was operated with the help of the business class. Till 1998, there were 60 cows in the shelter following which difficulty arose in running this Gaushala, and all sections joined hands to run the shelter, chairman of the Gaushala Committee, Ajay Agarwal said.
Agarwal said that from 2005 to 2015, attention was given towards breed improvement and milk-givers were separately taken care of. Radheshyam said, "About 250 Litre of milk is extracted during the summer. People from far and wide travel to get milk from here which costs Rs 68 per Litre. Women who have babies or are pregnant are the first ones to be provided with milk."
Radheshyam said the gaushala is covered with green mats so that the cows face no problem during the heat. "The cowshed is cleaned thrice a day. About 3,000 kg of green fodder and 300 kg of grains are fed to the animals daily along with about 2,000 kgs of watermelon, bottle gourds, tomatoes, and colas," he added.
This cowshed is probably the first such cowshed in the state where a vaccination drive was conducted for Lumpi virus, the manager said. "Not a single livestock died during the Lumpi virus endemic here. The cows, calves, binjars have separate living spaces here and their food arrangements too, are checked from time to time. A veterinary doctor, too, is available round the clock," he added.
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