Kathmandu July 20

Management of cattle abandoned and released to the city area has become a big challenge for the office of Nepalgunj sub-metropolis. Hundreds of stray animals including abandoned cows, pigs, mule and dogs are not only visible in the main thoroughfares but also in the narrowed passages of Nepalgunj.

A year ago, the elected people’s representatives and employees of the sub-metropolis had to take burden of a lawsuit on charge of mass killing of national animal cow. A large number of cows and oxen of Nepalgunj had died falling off the cliff in Surkhet while taking them to Dailekh for the management.

In the incident, Nepalgunj sub-metropolis also had to face widespread criticism across the country. It may be noted that the earlier decision of the Nepalgunj sub-metropolis to release the stray animals around the Banke National Park area was also berated. Later the sub-metropolis started keeping the stray animals inside the open barbed boundary at Puraini in Nepalgunj. However, the management challenge has not been resolved permanently.

Nepalgunj mayor Dr Dhawal Shumsher JB Rana said the sub-metropolis had also arranged a Kanji house at Fultekra but it was not spacious enough to accommodate growing numbers of unattended animals. “So, we mooted to arrange an open space to manage the stray animals”, he said, adding there has been no let up in the tendency of releasing animals on the street.

“Our responsibility is to manage them but this should be the shared challenge of all requiring collective efforts”, Dr Rana further said. The stray cattle of Nepalgunj have not been the problem merely borne out by its residents. There is a trend that hundreds of cattle have been chased away to the sub-metropolis from Rupaidiya across the Indian border and nearby areas.