Helpless

 

    The other day, on my way home from work, I came across a cow whose leg was stuck in a styrofoam box. It probably got its leg stuck while it was roaming around the garbage dump near my place. I was apprehensive as to what to do, but I was mostly appalled at the fact that it kept walking regardless of having its leg stuck in something. It walked like it was normal. Onlookers did nothing, so I stepped in and helped. I drove right behind the cow and put my foot on the box so that the cow would lift its leg out of the box as it was walking. And voila! It went exactly as planned. The cow looked back and tried to comprehend what had happened, but it gave no reaction and just continued walking as if nothing had happened. It had no care in the world that having its foot stuck in something meant nothing, the same as when it is released from a random human as well.

    The way animals have become so used to us has really amused me. I get surprised when I am riding on my bike and the street dogs show no reaction when I drive close to them. And this other time, when I was driving my car and I honked at a cow that was about to cross the road. It stopped right there and looked at the approaching car and waited for me to cross. Surprisingly enough, it continued crossing the road once I passed it. These animals, which have only developed five senses by themselves, are so used to us that they're becoming one among us.

    But this story about the cow being nonchalant about the styrofoam is indeed a cause for concern. Even if they aren't aware of it, our garbage is disrupting their livelihood, while they think that it is filling their stomachs. More than food, there are a lot of hazardous things out there in the dump, worse than styrofoam. Miscellaneous stuff like glass shards or broken gas canisters could pose a serious threat to those creatures if they encounter those things without any knowledge of what it is. We should resolve this issue by not letting animals roam about in public aimlessly. This would pose a danger to both their lives and our lives. Secondly, fencing garbage dumps and making them less accessible to animals or other living beings. Finally, we need to get rid of the excessive garbage in a sterile way. Leaving them out in the open is just inviting diseases to nearby homes.

    We need to realise that we are the taxpayers and we must question these things if not done properly. It is equally important to maintain the cleanliness of our surroundings as much as we maintain hygiene among ourselves.