iWon News: "India chews over horny problem of holy cows


May 3, 11:12 AM (ET)

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - An Indian court has ordered officials to clean up one of the biggest menaces prowling the wide avenues, luscious parks and crowded bazaars of the capital New Delhi -- holy cows.

About 35,000 cows and buffaloes roam free in Delhi in the heart of north India's Hindu 'cow belt,' sharing roads with hordes of monkeys, camels and stray dogs and killing scores of people every year in gorings and traffic accidents.

Most are owned by residents who let them graze on grass and rubbish dumps and sell the milk to thousands of illegal dairies supplying New Delhi's 14 million people.

Cows are sacred to Hindus and just the rumor of mistreatment can prompt angry mobs to kill people in revenge. Traffic routinely comes to a halt to allow the animals to amble across highways and pedestrians constantly side-step steaming evidence of their passage."

Meanwhile, the city is also infested with thousands of monkeys blamed for attacking people and stealing medicine from hospitals and files from government offices...

The monkeys are too smart for traps, sterilization is too costly, animal rights groups fight round-ups and they are well-fed and protected by residents who consider them auspicious.

Thousands of people pour into temples and leave offerings of food around the city every Tuesday, the monkey-god's day...

Between the cows, monkeys and this horny thang I have cancelled my trip to INDIA. I can handle bad drivers, pick pockets and overly amorous humans but cows and monkeys... I give up.