AAA sponsoring Animal Nepal bulls Arun and Kumari

Recently, Animal Nepal approached Animal Aid Abroad about sponsoring two bulls in their care: Arun and Kumari. Following is some background from Animal Nepal on these two animals:

Historically, bulls have been used as working animals in Nepal for centuries, mostly used for ploughing fields and pulling carts. With increasing urbanization, many people are turning away from farming which has led to a decrease in the use of bulls as draft animals.  Furthermore, over the last few years there has been a huge rise in Nepal's dairy production and inadvertently male calves have become the unfortunate victims of this fast growing industry.  Nepal's constitution forbids the killing of cows and bulls, meaning most of the male calves born into the dairy industry are discarded on the roads very soon after birth, thus making stray cattle a common sight in many parts of the country. With an absence of any proper intervention from the Government of Nepal, these animals suffer terribly on the roads and are at risk of road traffic accidents, poisoning, sickness, hunger and abuse. Even though cows and bulls hold a special status in both Nepal's constitution and religious sphere, it is fair to say that they are the most exploited and least protected animals in Nepal. While Animal Nepal continues to advocate for the rights and welfare of these long-suffering animals, Kumari and Arun are two representative cases, where we have had to make a direct intervention. 

Kumari

We came across Kumari in October 2020, while we were driving back from our dog treatment center. He was only a couple of months old at the time and had been run over by a truck, resulting in a complete fracture of his right front leg. Having witnessed the accident and with no proper provision for the rescue and treatment of such animals, we took him with us and provided the necessary treatment. As he was quite small at the time, he stayed with us in our office, where we nursed him back to health and miraculously after six months of being on plaster, he made a full recovery and now he is a very happy and healthy young bull, whose nature is just like one of our office dogs. As he has outgrown our office, the long-term plan for Kumari is to transfer him to our sanctuary in Dukuchhap, where he will have plenty of space to run around and graze in and will be well looked after. 

Arun

Arun is an adolescent stray bull who wanders around very close to our office. According to locals, he was abandoned there soon after his birth by a dairy farmer, whose identity we have not been able to determine. Arun spends his days scavenging for food in rubbish bins, as a result last month he suffered a severe case of poisoning, for which we provided treatment and he has since made a full recovery. Due to his size, he often gets in the way of people and vehicles and while most community members are kind to him, there are some who see him as an inconvenience and as a way of shooing him away, a hotel owner recently poured boiling water on his back resulting in a bad infection. We firmly believe that the street is no place for an animal like Arun, so we would very much like to take him to our sanctuary where he will also have a companion in Kumari. Due to his proximity to our office, we keep a regular eye on Arun and feel that it is our obligation to ensure his wellbeing.