Report on September 2020 Medical Cases
This month, Braj Animal Care completed 187 treatments: more than we could have imagined several months ago.
Of these cases, 62 (33%) were new cases, and 125 (67%) were ongoing treatments. Following up is very important, because without multiple treatments, the animal will not usually recover. It can also be a very challenging process, especially when it involves finding and re-capturing the patient on the street, thus we have included follow-ups in the overall count.
41 were cases involving dogs, and 22 cases involved cows, bulls or calves of both genders.
33 were maggot cases, 14 were abused by humans, 7 were traffic accidents, 2 were rabies cases and 9 were other types of cases. Maggot cases are counted separately because they can quickly make even a tiny scratch into a huge, life-threatening injury by burrowing inside the wound and eating the animal’s flesh. Road accident cases that we receive are not often maggot-infested because we are usually called immediately after the incident. The maggoted wounds are usually a result of animals biting other animals, or even a very minor cut or scrape, the origin of which is not possible to know. The only overlap in these categories were two cases of abuse which became infested with maggots as well.
Despite the very serious nature of many of our cases, 55 (89%) recovered and only 7 (11%) passed away. Of those who died, two died of rabies, three died of advanced parasitic infestations (one of whom had maggots in his brain), one died of poisoning, and one died due to complications with a severely infected leg that had gone untreated for weeks before the animal came to us.
Of traffic accident cases, 38% were on the Vrindavan Parikrama Marg, 13% were on Vrindavan’s Chhatikara Road (a road connecting the town to the highway), and 50% were from various parts of the nearby city, Mathura. The large number of road accidents on the Parikrama Marg is particularly upsetting, because it is supposed to be a footpath for pilgrims performing a sacred walk around Vrindavan.
Recommendations for Reducing Road Accidents
Although we expect the maggot cases to decrease a starting next month due to the cooler, less humid weather, the traffic accident cases are likely to increase with more and more people visiting Vrindavan, due to the auspicious month of Kartik and further easing of lockdown restrictions. As of the 2011 census, Vrindavan’s population was 63,005, which has likely doubled since then. But comparatively, the number of tourists went from from 3,859,700 in 2011 to 13,839,380 in 2017.
With more than thirteen million tourists visiting a small town like Vrindavan each year, the traffic has become life-threatening for humans and animals alike. Unfortunately, the problem is compounded by many people speeding and driving erratically with no regard for life, including tourists’ and local cars, motorcycles, taxis and e-rickshaws, as well as lorries (trucks) hauling goods. We recommend the following steps to help minimize the damage caused:
Tourists and pilgrims must be required to park outside the city limits in the already-established parking areas. So far, entry is only limited during festivals, but this rule should apply every day, and to every single vehicle.
Police should be stationed on Parikrama Marg and on the main roads connecting highways to the town, to ensure that safe driving is enforced.
Speed bumps must be added on the most dangerous roads.
Those who hurt or kill animals with their vehicles must face significant consequences like heavy fines or, in cases where the driver did it on purpose, imprisonment.
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