Living Planet: India's paradox of the holy cow

14.05.2020

Since cows are holy to Hindus, after the current Hindu-nationalist government took office in India in 2014, many states banned cow slaughter. So farmers turned out unproductive animals, resulting in millions of cows on the loose. On the dusty roads of rural Rajasthan, cows roam the streets, eating anything in their path — including plentiful plastic waste. And suffer as a result.