India introduces cattle ID cards

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Thousands of people of Murshidabad district in the Indian state of West Bengal thronged outside photo studios with their cows as the Border Security Force (BSF) authority has introduced ID cards for cattle in a bid to stop their smuggling to neighbouring Bangladesh, reports UNB.
According to Indian media report, a BSF spokesman said the move was meant to stop smuggling of cattle from India to Bangladesh as thousands of cows are smuggled every day from West Bengal.
If the pilot project works well in Murshidabad, where cattle smuggling is at its highest, the scheme could be extended to other border districts, said another BSF official in Calcutta.
According to local estimate, some 20,000 to 30,000 cows are smuggled into Bangladesh every day from India, mostly through the state of West Bengal.
Valid for two years, each laminated cattle ID card displays the picture of the animal and its owner. It also carries vital information about the animal, such as its colour, height, sex and length of horns.
It carries the owner's name and address and other details about the animal, for example one "horn missing" or "half tail lost".
The authorities say crime syndicates find it easy to tamper with branding or tattooing of the cattle - hence the idea for photo identity cards, which should be difficult to falsify.
Exporting cattle is illegal in India, but cows are smuggled in large numbers to Bangladesh and Pakistan regularly, primarily for beef. The smuggling is at its highest during Muslim festivals.
India prohibits cattle exports, as beef consumption is frowned upon by the country's majority Hindu population.