Andhra Pradesh: 98 cows found dead in bovine shelter

As many as 98 cows were found dead in a cow shelter in Kothuru Tadepalli village of Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district.

A caretaker of the cow shelter said they noticed the deaths of cows post midnight and immediately informed the police.

"The cow shelter's secretary called last night and said that many cows have died. I was shocked to hear that. I suggested him to immediately file a complaint. He informed the police later in the night. Also, we have informed officials in the animal husbandry department. They reached here at around 7:00 am and now post mortem is being done. The cause of the death can only be ascertained after the post mortem report," said Vinod Kumar Raj Purohit, member of the cow shelter.

The police soon reached the spot and is now waiting for the post mortem report to take action.

"This cow shelter has been running since the last 19-20 years and they have a good reputation in the area. It is a service-oriented organisation. Every day they receive grass from nearby areas... Immediately after receiving the information, police officials rushed to the spot. Currently, post mortem is being done. After receiving the report we will take further action in this issue," said K Sudhakar, ACP, Vijayawada West Zone.

Animal husbandry department officials say that this might be a case of suffocation. They said it is an unusual incident and actual reason for the death can be identified only after post mortem is done. However, they have ruled out the case of food poisoning.

"The incident has happened due to bloat, which is not very common, but it has happened very suddenly. We are getting the post mortem done," said Damodar Naidu, Additional Director, Animal Husbandry Department.