Small World
Look who’s growling at the beef ban
Haima Deshpande Haima Deshpande 25 Jun, 2015
Dogs of the Mumbai Police bomb disposal squad are facing an unusual problem ever since the Maharashtra government instituted a beef ban. They eat chicken now and they don’t seem to like it much. “Their energy levels are low and the sudden change of diet has impacted their working skills,” says a member of the bomb disposal squad.
Mohammed Khan is a meat supplier to the squad. Since chicken is costlier than beef, Khan’s bills left unpaid by the department have been mounting. He had written a strongly-worded letter to the Mumbai Police Chief Rakesh Maria, saying that unless the arrears were paid, supplies to the dog squad would be stopped. Once the figure touched Rs 11 lakh, Khan decided to halt supply.
“After they have been fed red meat every single day, suddenly switching them to white or chicken meat is not easy. It is a drastic change. The quantity of chicken meat required is much more than the beef as well,” says a dog handler who feeds them daily.
Veterinarians say that dogs need red meat because certain amino acids present in it are good for them. “Substituting beef with chicken is an expensive option and also not a practical solution,” says Dr Chariyar, a veterinarian.
Beef is priced at just half the rate of mutton, the other red meat that is widely available in the state. Until the beef ban was imposed, Maharashtra contributed nearly 25 per cent to the country’s beef and buffalo meat market.
The other canines hit hard by the beef ban are retired dogs of the Mumbai Police bomb disposal squad. When meat allocations are made, says a source, these dogs are not taken into consideration. This is a cost-saving measure. For Max and Ceaser, two retired Labradors, members of the bomb disposal squad have now started collecting money to meet the high price of chicken. According to one member of the squad, “We simply cannot afford it any longer.”
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