Experts issue warning after making horrifying discovery in cows' digestive systems: 'The situation is extremely dangerous'
Bovines, such as cows and buffalo, are facing a serious issue with plastic in India, which is an indicator of an ongoing worldwide problem for other animals and people.
What's happening?
Veterinarians and other officials in India have reported that cows, bulls, and buffaloes, especially stray ones not under a person's care, have been consuming massive quantities of plastic, often from food waste in plastic bags discarded along roadsides, according to the Pune Times Mirror.
The outlet reported that 250 to 300 surgeries are performed every year to remove plastic from animals' digestive systems in the Pune district. When cattle consume plastic, it remains in their stomachs, which have four chambers, for 8-10 hours, swelling over time and causing the animals to stop eating. That impacts fertility, dairy production, and their well-being.
"The situation is extremely dangerous for livestock health," Dr. BL Gaikwad, an assistant commissioner of the Maharashtra animal husbandry department, said, per the Times Mirror. One farmer said surgeons removed 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of plastic from one of their dairy cattle.
Why are animals ingesting plastics important?
Plastic pollution is a pervasive issue for animals across the world, being consumed by a wide variety of land animals, including elephants, hyenas, zebras, tigers, and camels, according to Earth.org. Other plastic waste can cause injury, like loss of limbs, or containers can get stuck on animals' heads, costing them time. It's not just land animals; millions of tons of plastic waste also make their way into the ocean.
And if that many animals are ingesting plastic on a large scale, there's also the concern of microplastics for animals and people.
Microplastics, the tiny microscopic pieces of plastic that break down from larger pieces, have been found in all parts of the human body, from the brain to the reproductive system, per CNN.
What's being done about animals ingesting plastic?
According to the Times Mirror, the Indian Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has enforced a ban on single-use plastics "that are of low utility and generate excessive waste," as well as a ban on the manufacture, import, storage, sale, and use of bags below 120 microns (think of thin take out bags).
You can make your own impact by reducing your use of plastics, such as avoiding single-use plastics when you buy health and beauty products or food as well as in other areas of your life.
Do you think Americans use too much plastic?
Absolutely
Only in some states
We're getting better
We're doing fine
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Killed it on the spot': Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
An infant in the northern Indian state of Bihar reportedly bit a cobra to death after it coiled around his hands. The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports. "When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news. After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH). 'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express. The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal. "Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India. "The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said. Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports. India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths. The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India. The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife. More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Killed it on the spot': Infant bites cobra to death after it coiled around his hands
An infant in the northern Indian state of Bihar reportedly bit a cobra to death after it coiled around his hands. The one-year-old boy, identified only by his first name Govinda, bit the cobra while he was playing at his home in the small town of Bettiah near the Indo-Nepal border, according to local news reports. "When we saw the snake in the child's hand, everyone rushed towards him, but in the meantime, he already bit the snake, killing it on the spot," the child's grandmother told local news. After biting the snake, the boy fainted and was rushed to a primary health care centre for initial treatment, after which he was taken to the town's Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH). 'The boy, Govind Kumar, was referred here yesterday by the primary health centre close to his village where he was rushed by family members after he fainted soon after chewing on the live snake,' hospital superintendent Duvakant Mishra told Indian Express. The venom's effects were reportedly mild, only knocking the boy unconscious, but not fatal. "Timely treatment saved Govinda's life," Saurabh Kumar, a doctor of the government hospital, told the Times of India. "The child's condition is currently stable and treatment is being administered under the supervision of doctors. The medical team is treating the child, providing continuous medication, and he is under observation,' Dr Kumar said. Govinda reportedly is being closely monitored at GMCH Bettiah with treatment for poisoning expected to start if he started showing any symptoms, according to local news reports. India has around 300 species of snakes, including 60 highly venomous snakes such as the Russell's vipers, kraits, and the saw-scaled viper, which are responsible for most of the bite-related deaths. The Indian cobra completes this list of the "big four" species responsible for the most snakebites in India. The country recorded over a million snake bite deaths in just two decades from 2000-19, according to a study published in 2020 in the journal eLife. More than two-thirds of the recorded deaths came from eight of India's 28 states, including Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Brilliant teenage students develop mind-blowing inventions to solve global crisis: 'I got goosebumps'
Brilliant teenage students develop mind-blowing inventions to solve global crisis: 'I got goosebumps' More than 100 young innovators gathered at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi this June to develop solutions to climate change and build the future, one planet-friendly prototype at a time. ETV Bharat reported that the Change Makers 2025 Summer Bootcamp brought together 106 students aged 15 to 19 from across India to develop real-world solutions to the climate crisis. Over three weeks, students formed teams and tackled pressing issues like carbon emissions, microplastics, e-waste, and heatwaves. The teams then turned their ideas into working prototypes under the mentorship of scientists, professors, and entrepreneurs at the institute. Students at the bootcamp introduced a range of bold, locally relevant innovations that did things like convert pedal power into electricity and transform irrigation with data. One green tech project, Re-Volt Ride, uses a bicycle-mounted dynamo to generate clean electricity for charging phones and LED lights. Another project dubbed Neer-Veer tackles water waste in agriculture with a solar-powered smart irrigation system that includes sensors and a dashboard to guide farmers' decisions. "I got goosebumps watching the final presentations," said professor and bootcamp coordinator Jay Dhariwal. "These kids aren't just learning, they're doing, and with the right support, some of these projects could become national interventions." The initiative behind these projects does not stop after the program ends; students will receive continued mentorship and scaling support to kickstart their ideas. According to 4-H, climate change is top of mind for 84% of teens. While for some, thinking about rising global temperatures — and their negative impact on humanity and the environment — may cause anxiety, for others, it spurs local action and inspires hope. "Most people experiencing climate-related distress are not hiding under the covers. They're taking action to help solve the problem," said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Programs like the Change Makers Bootcamp, which center solutions-oriented thinking, inspire action and give youth the opportunity to make a real impact in their communities and beyond. One LinkedIn post about the Changemakers program read, "They are not just visitors - they are future founders, innovators, and problem-solvers in the making." How interested are you in going solar? Very Somewhat Not at all I've already gone solar Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet. Solve the daily Crossword
