Doctors at a government-run veterinary hospital in Odisha's Berhampur have removed plastic bags weighing around 30 kg from the stomach of a cow. It took a four-hour long operation for a team of veterinary doctors, led by Satya Narayan Kar, to remove the undigested polythene bags from the stomach of the 10-year-old cow on Wednesday, Chief District Veterinary Officer of Ganjam, Manoj Kumar Sahu, said.
The stray cow, which used to feed on leftovers dumped in polythene bags by people, ended up with its stomach full of plastic and subsequently its intestines were impacted.
If left unattended for long, the animal would have died, the doctor said.
The cow is stable now and it will stay in the hospital for a week in observation.
Last year, the doctors at the hospital had similarly removed around 15 kg from another stray cow in the same district.
"The incident highlights the severity of plastic pollution, despite a government ban on its use, transport and manufacture for five years," said Sudhir Rout, founder of Aryabhatt Foundation, an organisation spearheading a campaign against the use of plastic.
"We appeal to the Berhampur Municipal Corporation to enforce the ban properly," Rout said.
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