My name is 53281 or so, that’s what’s written on the tag pierced into my ear. I faintly remember being taken away from my mother as soon as I was born. I spent my whole life in confined stalls. I was injected several times with hormones which made me grow bigger and bigger. My hooves ached so much under my weight.
Then, one day, a man shoved his arm inside me. I was taken aback and had no idea what was happening. Months later, I gave birth to an adorable baby boy but soon, he was dragged away from me. I bellowed and cried for them to bring him back to no avail. The men came back again with injections. I tried to lash out at them but stopped as soon as I witnessed the other cows being beaten and stomped after trying to escape. My udders grew so big and they hurt.
Next thing I know is that they attached a machine to my udders and it pumped milk out everyday, constantly.
Just when I thought that my ordeal was over, another man came and shoved his arm again inside me. I gave birth to a baby girl this time and she was taken away from me as well. I went through the same thing again. It happened a few more times till I became feeble and my legs started giving in.
That was the story of a typical cow, bred in a dairy industry for out milk.
In Hinduism, cows are considered sacred animals. They are depicted as the mother of everyone. Yet, unknowingly, we are supporting a cruel industry where they are tortured to death.
You are not to blame for believing all the propaganda used by different brands of milk. The truth behind those smiling cows is shocking. As mentioned in the story, these cows are artificially inseminated on what they call the ‘rape rack’. The cows are injected with antibiotics and hormones to grow bigger quickly and to produce more milk. When they give birth, their babies are snatched away from them; if it’s a male, he is raised for a few weeks and slaughtered for veal and if it’s a female, she has to suffer the same fate as her mother.
Now, you want to know how to make a change right? Breaking a bad habit is hard but replacing it with a good one gets easier when you have the will and compassion. You can buy fresh milk from local farmers to start with. Buying from farmers who treat their animals well are way better than dairy industries. The majority of the big brands of milk come from dairy industries where cows are tortured to keep producing milk in order to meet the consumers’ demands. In the long run, you can try out alternatives such as almond milk, coconut milk and soy milk .
What’s even better is that YOU can make your own dairy-free milk at home. Hundreds of videos are shared online where people make their own milk from almonds and cashews.
This has been simply from an ethical perspective. The consequences of dairy industry are far reaching. Make sure to keep up with our posts to know more about the effects on the environment and our health as well as dairy alternatives!
Author: Nidhee Seernaum