Bystanders and vet save a pregnant cow hit by speeding car

Saving a pregnant Cow- Good Samaritans | | Mike Ghouse for India
http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2015/06/bystanders-and-vet-save-pregnant-cow.html

Courtesy  Bangalore Mirror

Good human stories are rarely reported, but I am glad the Bangalore Mirror has taken that step. Stories like these happen every day, even though they do not make it to the main stream media, they make it in the social media.  Social media reflects the sentiments of the people. I am glad we have the Facebook, the blogs, twitter, yahoo groups and their likes.

This is a good positive thing that has emerged in our society, for people to actually stop and do something about it and not run way, even during the night.  The other part of our culture that needs a change is for the individual to take the responsibility for accident and not run away, and for the public to hold off  beating up on the guy.

The guys who hit and run are not cruel people, but people who are afraid of the cruelty that will be unleashed on them by the passersby.  I recall a small incident where a motor cycle hit a goat and killed the poor animal in Byatrayanpura, near Bangalore. It took no time for the frustrated men from around to gather up and beat up this guy badly. The mistake he made was to stop and care for the animal.

Dr Abbas begins the meticulous process of suturing the cow’s wounds
by the light of the mobile phones being held up by the crowd.

If movies include small small (ha!) scences, the society could be transformed over a period of time.

Mike Ghouse
www.MikeGhouse.net

# # #

In thick of night, bystanders and vet in shining armour save pregnant cow hit by speeding car
Courtesy - Bangalore Mirror

By Prakruti PK, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 8, 2015, 04.00 AM IST

The profusely-bleeding cow lay writhing in the middle of the road, but thanks to passersby and a vet who performed emergency surgery in the middle of the road, both mum and unborn baby are in stable condition

It was no ordinary hit-and-run accident that jolted motorists and pedestrians on 2nd main road near Jayamahal Extension, RT Nagar on Saturday night, because this was no ordinary victim.

The profusely bleeding pregnant cow with its right flank nearly torn off lay writhing in the middle of the road after being rammed into by a speeding car.

Had it not been for the intervention of some selfless, compassionate passersby including a veterinary surgeon - who performed an operation lasting two hours on the animal in the middle of the road - the victim would not have made it. 

This is the incredibly heart-warming story of a group of people who came together to save a helpless animal that would otherwise have lost its life, and its calf, in a road accident. Around 8.45 pm on Saturday, there was a smattering of vehicles plying on Jayamahal Extension 2nd main road, along the mosque and the compound of the burial grounds, when two cows were seen attempting to cross the road.

All the vehicles approaching from both sides slowed to a stop, except for one Tata Indica. The driver of the car, who was speeding, reportedly tried to overtake the animals sharply but rammed into the right hind flank of one of the cows. Even while the animal screamed in pain, the callous driver sped away, but one of the motorists began chasing him.

"My friend and I were on our bike and had stopped to let the cows pass, when we saw the car driver ram into the animal and escape. Looking at the gravely-injured cow, I told my friend to call for help and raced after the driver of the car, yelling for him to stop. He refused and continued speeding, but I didn't give up. I had to ride the wrong way up a road and across the median to finally get in front of his car and force him to brake. I shouted at him and managed to take his driver's license and phone number before he jumped back in the vehicle and sped away," said Vijay, who witnessed the accident.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Rahul Chauhan, a freelance programmer, was also driving by and stopped after noticing the traffic had slowed to a crawl.

Chauhan saw that a huge crowd had gathered around the cow, which was bleeding heavily and had deep cuts along the right side of its body, with the skin hanging off.

"A traffic policeman who reached the spot around 9 pm called for medical help and back up, but in vain. Fortunately, a veterinary doctor who was passing by with his friend saw the cow and rushed to help. Though he did not have any medical supplies, three BDS students from the crowd, Saurabh, Manas, and Vinay set off on their bikes to get local anaesthesia and a sewing kit for the doctor to use," recalled Rahul, speaking to Bangalore Mirror.

Though the road was pitch-dark with barely any streetlights, people from the crowd used the lights from their mobile phones to help the doctor see, as he began a procedure lasting nearly three hours on the wounded animal.

Another onlooker, Syed Rasoul, ran into the Muslim burial ground nearby and returned with a piece of cloth that he used as a makeshift rope to hobble the animal whilst the surgery was being performed. Someone else brought a bucket of water which they used to wash the cow's wounds and calm it down; and around 11 pm, some senior traffic police personnel arrived along with members of animal welfare organization Prani Daya Sangha in a pick-up truck, that they wanted to use to transport the cow.

"It was sheer coincidence that I happened to be passing by with my friend. I was actually on my way to attend an emergency call for a pet cat in Shivajinagar when we saw the crowd. It was as though God heard the cow's cries for help and sent me there. We initially saw the left side of the animal, which was not injured, but I got off the bike anyway to see if it needed to be given a painkiller. That's when I saw the pool of blood around it and swung into action," the veterinary doctor, Dr Mahmood Abbas, told Mirror.

Dr Abbas is a practising veterinary surgeon who has been in government service for eight of his 10 years as a vet, and is currently posted at the government clinic in Jayanagar.

"At first glance, I could tell the animal was pregnant, and it looked to be in bad shape. It had lost about two litres of blood, but I was completely unprepared to attend to it and didn't have my medical kit. I called and informed the owner of the cat that I was going to be held up, and with the help of some other locals and dental college students, procured some suture material and local anaesthesia to stitch up the deep wounds. I did not want to risk using general anaesthesia as it could have had adverse effects on the pregnant cow. Though she was in a lot of pain, we used local anaesthesia and proceeded with the surgery," the vet said.

Syed Rasoul, Dr Mahmood Abbas, and Dr Vijay Kumar who assisted with the surgery.

Soon after beginning the procedure, Dr Abbas realised he would need assistance and immediately phoned his friend, Dr Vijay Kumar in Kaval Byrasandra, who rushed to the spot to help. The operation went on for nearly three hours, and it was well after midnight by the time the injured animal's wounds had been stitched, and before it was gently loaded onto the back of the pick-up truck to be taken to the shelter in Koramangala. 

The vet said its condition was stable and that it would receive intensive care for the next five to seven days, along with being administered a course of antibiotics to heal the deep gashes and ensure there was no maggot infestation.

Meanwhile, the RT Nagar traffic police, whom the public alleged were reluctant to file an FIR, finally caved and lodged a complaint against the driver of the car, identified as Manjunath S, a resident of Meenukunte. Sources said he also agreed to pay the costs incurred in treating and rehabilitating the injured animal. Faith in humanity, restored!

# # #