Chirantana Mathkari
Dr. Chirantana Mathkari, assistant professor of animal behavior, ecology, and conservation and anthrozoology, published an article titled “The Cow Paradox—A Scoping Review of Dairy Bovine Welfare in India Using the Five Freedoms” in Animals, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access journal devoted entirely to animals.
Mathkari’s article analyzes the effects of socio-cultural norms on dairy cow and buffalo welfare in India, the largest producer and consumer of milk. Through her research, Mathkari argues that the compromised welfare of the animals presents itself as a paradoxical situation where the acclaimed sacrality of the cow shapes the welfare of the cows negatively, and nurtures a complete disregard for the welfare of the buffaloes, what Mathkari calls “the cow paradox.”
This study brings to light the largely ignored but crucial role that culturally shaped human influences play in the husbandry of dairy animals, creating grounds for studying the human-animal relationships through a holistic, interdisciplinary approach.
Read Mathkari’s article for free here
Submitted by: Chirantana Mathkari, Assistant Professor, Animal Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation and Anthrozoology
