Big demand for small cow
Media hype and unproven claims on medicinal value of its milk result in huge demand for Vechur cow Buying a Rolls-Royce Phantom would be easier than owning a Vechur cow, an endemic species of Kerala. One needs to wait for long and spend nearly Rs. 1 lakh to own the cow, considered the smallest of Indian cattle breeds. The market price of the cow ranges between Rs. 75,000 and Rs. 1.50 lakh, according to those dealing with the livestock. Even when one is willing to pay the hefty price, there is no guarantee that one will get a cow with pedigree. There were complaints of genetic pollution of the species, after calves bred with local ox varieties were sold as Vechur cows. The Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) stopped accepting booking for the animal around four years ago as it could not meet the high demand. The KVASU, meanwhile, turned its attention to broadening the base stock of the animal in its cattle sheds. When the bookings were stopped, there were around 1,0...