Cash bounty on stray Indian cows

Cash bounty on stray Indian cows

An Indian court has issued an order telling authorities in Delhi to offer a reward for people catching stray cows roaming the capital's streets.
The Delhi High Court ordered southern Delhi authorities to pay 2,000 rupees ($45) to anyone delivering a stray cow to them.
The bounty is the latest initiative in an effort that started in May to remove stray cows.
Cows are revered as sacred among Hindus and are protected by law.
But they are a growing problem on the streets and pose a traffic hazard.
No claimants
A court order two years ago directing municipal authorities to clear the streets of cows failed to have much impact.
So now the court has introduced a cash reward in its new order. The captured cows will be taken to a cow shelter.
The authorities plan to raise the reward money by auctioning the animals.
Some estimates suggest there are as many as 40,000 cows wandering the streets of Delhi.
Most are let loose to wander by unscrupulous dairy owners.
Catching a free roaming cow is not easy - on the first day of the cash scheme there was not one claimant.