Breastfeeding has become a thorny issue in the West, with some women declaring the act 'creepy' while others fervently believe 'breast is best'. But for Couthi Bai, a villager from Kilchu, India, the decision to breastfeed an orphaned calf after its mother died was a natural one. She tells her story.
Since the death of the calf's mother when it was only three days old, Chouthi Bai has breastfed the animal three or four times a day. "After her mother died, I held her in my arms and breastfed her. I nurtured her by feeding her my milk. She was so young when the cow died. For me there is no difference between a calf and an infant," Bai, a resident of Kilchu village in India's desert state of Rajasthan, said on Saturday.
Bai's calf seems to have taken naturally to the breast-milk, which is supplemented with chapatis and water. "I feed her three or four times a day, the same amount an infant requires in a day. Sometimes we have to feed her chapatis, we give her water to drink and slowly she will grow on this diet," Bai said.
The 46-day-old calf now follows her wherever she goes. Hindus consider the cow a sacred animal. "The gods will be pleased if I raise her," Bai said.
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