Cow found chomping chickens

2007-03-07 22:36

Kolkata - When dozens of chickens went missing from a remote West Bengal village, everyone blamed the neighbourhood dogs.

But Ajit Ghosh, the owner of the missing chickens, eventually solved the puzzle when he caught his cow - a sacred animal for the Hindu family - gobbling up several of them at night.

Ghosh said: "We were shocked to see our calf eating chickens alive."

The family decided to stand guard at night on Monday at the cow shed which also served as a hen coop, after 48 chickens went missing in a month.

Gour Ghosh, Ajit's brother, said: "Instead of the dogs, we watched in horror as the calf, whom we had fondly named Lal, sneaked to the coop and grabbed the little ones with the precision of a jungle cat."

Local television pictures showed the cow grabbing and eating a chicken in seconds and a vet confirmed the case.

'Strange behaviour'

Mihir Satpathy, a district veterinary officer, said: "We think lack of vital minerals in the body is causing this behaviour. We have taken a look and have asked doctors to look into the case immediately.

"This strange behaviour is possible in some exceptional cases."

Hundreds of villagers flocked to Chandpur village on Wednesday to catch a glimpse of Lal, enjoying his bundle of green grass for a change.

Ajit added: "The local vets said the cow was probably suffering from a disease, but others said Lal was a tiger in his previous birth."

- Reuters