Holy cow or cannulated cows

Humans greed is not going to end soon, and it is growing! Humans relentless ambition to use animals’ behavior and lives for food, sport and to make money – is unbelievable.

Some of those experiments humans conduct on animals is disturbing. Added to this industrial agriculture is also not fair in treating animals. We have seen how the male baby chickens face death by grinding and putting them in trash bags alive.

Another cruel example is debeaking of chickens. And, pigs are put in small cages where they live lifelong without almost no space to move. Animals are kept in horrible conditions. Another horrible practice is drilling holes in cows through a process called fistulation known as cannulated cows.

Fistulation includes partial removal of cow’s abdomen and surgically placing a cannula or plastic ring to keep the flesh open to an 8-inch hole. This keeps cow’s stomach exposed. Cannula acts as a porthole like device and allows access to rumen of the animals to conduct observation during research. The hole sometimes covered with a plug and when open one can see the stomach and its contents. The procedure commonly done in cows but can be done in horses. This practice is less in US and is much more in Switzerland. In US cannulated animals can be seen in research farms and universities

 Why this practice?

Industrial agricultural practitioners claim that this is healthy for animals as it allows transfer of microorganisms from one animal to another. Researchers study gut microbes and nutrition of animals. They also transfer microbes to another animal.  Reason of transfer is, it improves health of cows and benefits the meat and dairy industries. Ultimately these animals will be slaughtered for human’s benefits.

The claim is that, the surgery does not hurt the cows and does not interfere in its life expectancy. It allows researchers to study animals digestive pattern and to determine the quality of livestock feed.   People who justify this cruel act also say that because of cannulated cows global warming is reducing! However, the mutilation takes 4 to 6 weeks to recover. It means animals suffer and feel uncomfortable.

According to Missouri State University newspaper “It’s not all work and no play at Darr Ranch, though. …there is a day when students get to come in with any food items, ranging from Snickers bars to Twinkies. Students get to place these food items inside the steer and observe how long it takes for the cow to digest each of the items” The Standard

This evil practice is there from 1800’s. This is also a practice in animal experiments and veterinary schools. Sometimes fistulated cows are put on display at events. There is no legal protection for these cows from cruelty and even the federal animal welfare act does not protect these animals used in agricultural experiments. It is a sad state of affair and animals must undergo discrimination and pain.

Yes, the practice has been around for decades. But it is time to think what animals must be going through. We all know about animal consciousness.  After all, we love cats, dogs and treat them as our own kids. Why we are blind and deaf towards other animals’ pain and discomfort?

Cows are intelligent and smart animals. They exhibit a range of personalities. They don’t deserve such a cruel treatment, abuse or surgery. Stop supporting such inhumane act on any animals.

devra cow with hole in side https://www.flickr.com/photos/minicooper93402/9270979511/in/photostream/ (CC by 2.0)