Up to 40,000 cows are thought to be roaming the streets of
India's capital and can present a traffic menace. The BBC notes
that unauthorised dairies have contributed to the rise in strays,
and one woman had her arm broken recently when a cow under chase
slammed into her.
A court recently chastised authorities for failing to round-up
the wandering beasts and ordered that anyone bringing a stray to
city authorities should win a bounty of 2,000 rupees (about £25).
The authorities then sell the cows. But there is a potential
loophole: someone could return the same sacred cow for another
2,000 rupees.
So the Delhi civic authorities are fitting every cow's belly
with an RFID tag, costing 500 rupees (about £6.40), to help
record ownership and foil unscrupulous cow catchers. Chip readers
will identify an owner's name, the animal's code number and details
of its sale.
According to Calcutta's Telegraph, "the chips will be lodged,
ticking, inside the cattle’s rumens – their 'first stomachs' where
they store food after swallowing". It explains that the food is
then "regurgitated and chewed later at leisure".
The chip will be housed in a non-toxic capsule heavy enough to
settle in the rumen, to prevent it slipping into the 'fourth
stomach', where most of the digestion takes place.
