Odisha: Doctors remove 30-kg of plastic from stomach of cow in four-hour-long operation

Odisha: In a shocking incident, doctors removed plastic materials weighing around 30 kg from the stomach of a 10-year-old stray cow. As per a report, the four-hour-long operation was carried out at the government-run veterinary hospital in Odisha’s Berhampur on Wednesday. According to the Chief District Veterinary Officer of Ganjam, Manoj Kumar Sahu, a team of veterinary doctors, led by Satya Narayan Kar removed the undigested polythene bags that caused a blockage in the intestine of the cow.

Plastic in stomach of cow was causing serious problems

The cow was in critical condition as the undigested plastic materials in the stomach were causing problems in passing stool and urine. The animal was kicking its belly in pain.

Cow will stay under observation

Doctor Kar said that if left unattended for long, the cow would have died, said. Fortunately, after the operation, the cow is stable and will stay in the hospital for a week in observation. After seeing the critical condition of the cow who was not able to even stand, some people informed officials, and the ailing animal was taken from Giri Road on Monday.

Cow had been kicking belly in pain

“The cow was in critical condition when it was brought to the hospital. The animal had problems in passing stool and urine and had been kicking its belly in pain. The clinical examination of the cow revealed the accumulation of plastic waste in its stomach,” said Kar.

Doctors at the hospital here had removed around 15 kg of plastic materials from a stray cow last year. Sudhir Rout, founder of the Aryabhatt Foundation said that the incident highlights the severity of plastic pollution, despite a government ban on its use, transport and manufacture for five years.

“We appealed to the Berhampur Municipal Corporation to enforce the ban properly,” said Rout. It also highlighted the disastrous impact plastic bags can have on the health of stray animals that often eat whatever they get in garbage bins, added Lalatendu Choudhury, an animal activist.