The myth of India's sacred cow and reverent exploitation

January 4, 8:11 PM · Corey Wrenn - Roanoke Vegan Examiner

India is often cited as a site of harmony and respect between human and non-human animals. As the cow is considered sacred by Hindus, many in India forgo the eating of beef and draw religious inspiration from the cow. To injure or kill a cow might even entail imprisonment or other punitive action. Unfortunately, the more accurate role that the cow plays in Indian culture challenges this notion of reverent coexistence.

The reality is that Indian cows remains property, and thus, their interests are invariably secondary to those of human animals, no matter how frivolous. As consumption of non-human animal products increases exponentially with Westernization, exploitation of the Indian cow is also increasing as traditional protections for the cow are eroded.

Meat
The slaughter of cattle is actually legal in many Indian states . In the land of the sacred cow, at least 14 million cattle were slaughtered for meat in 2004. All of these animals slaughtered for meat are expended dairy and labor animals or their offspring. Furthermore, as Western diets become normalized and subsidized in India, consuming cow flesh is becoming less and less taboo .

Dairy
Factory farming is becoming the norm in India to meet rising demands created by population growth and the changing tastes and markets of globalization. This means more and more non-human animals are raised and exploited as resources. Indian cows used for dairy suffer in very similar ways to those in the West . Indian dairy cows endure disease, infection, hormonal injections, excessive milk production, immediate separation from offspring, artificial insemination, and multiple pregnancies. The calves are separated from their mothers and denied their mother’s milk. Male calves are often left to die with their feet and mouths bound to prevent escape or crying which would distract their working mothers. Others are simply tethered which often leads to strangulation as the babies become tangled as they struggle to reach their mothers. Many calves are left to wander or are used for their hides and meat. Unfortunately, the powerful religious significance of cow milk and Western aggravation of milk demand could be exacerbating efforts to challenge human reliance on non-human animal products.

Leather
India is one of the largest producers of leather in the world. Treatment of Indian cattle used for leather has been heavily documented and publicized by PETA . Cattle are often deliberately injured or poisoned as healthy cattle are not legally eligible for slaughter. Transport to slaughter entails grueling marches and cramped vehicular transportation in scorching heat without food or water. Cows are prodded to comply with sticks, whips, broken tails, and chilies rubbed in their eyes. At the end of the journey, cattle are slaughtered in open view of one another.

Strays
Stray cattle are often left to wander the streets and slums of major cities. Free-roaming cattle are subject to automobile injury, malnutrition, and lack of veterinary care. Increasingly, these animals are considered a nuisance and are rounded up for removal.

The Myth of Respectful Use
The image of the sacred Indian cow is exemplary of idealized relationships between human and non-human animals which perpetuate the fantasy that non-human animals are somehow enjoying or benefiting from their exploitation. In reality, Indian cows (and other supposedly "respected" or "revered" non-human animals exploited by humans across all cultures) remain property and are increasingly treated as mere resources. Furthermore, what little preferential treatment that is allotted to the cow is not provided to other species. India has critical issues with pet overpopulation, wildlife extinction, non-human animals used for tourism, entertainment, and begging, and growing consumption of other non-human animals and their products. Globalization continues to challenge Indian culture, disintegrating religious traditions and other lifestyles which have the potential to respect non-human animals as persons. Given these difficulties, we must be particularly alert to encroaching Western norms of domination and exploitation and wary of fantastical notions of the happily exploited, respectfully treated, or humanely resourced non-human animal.

Instead of glorifying faulty examples like the Indian cow, which only serves to mask and perpetuate exploitation, we should instead promote veganism. Veganism respects non-human animals as persons and denies exploitation no matter the location, religion, culture, or species. And, the compassion and justice integral to veganism is no myth.