Cow tourism gaining popularity in Himachal Pradesh

Thursday, January 6, 2022

While the idea of “cow tourism” may sound unbelievable to some, the concept seems to be gaining popularity in Himachal Pradesh which is planning to boost tourism to its “cow sanctuaries”. The BJP government is working on a plan to link eleven upcoming cow sanctuaries to the tourism sector.

“Construction work at the cow sanctuary at Sunni in Shimla district is complete, costing Rs 2.22 core. The cow sanctuary, sixth in the series being built-up in the state, will formally be opened to the bovine community during this month,” said Himachal Pradesh minister for agriculture and animal husbandry VirenderKanwar.

The sanctuary will provide a safe and secure refuge for cows and also offer basic facilities like shelter, drinking water, dry/green fodder for their feeding and essential veterinary services including identification of animals via ear tagging. The animals will get a natural living and feeding environment within the closed sanctuary area.

“The sanctuary will gradually be developed as a tourist destination – a model of its own sort,” said Kanwar.

The sanctuary will mainly house stray cattle and abandoned cows, and has been developed by the HP GausevaAayog –a statutory regulatory body set up two years ago by the Jai Ram Thakur government for protection and welfare of indigenous cows and their progeny, including bull, bullock, ox and calves.

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