output.txt

Behaviour and Appearance

Cow is a hoofed animal and has two distinct toes in each leg. It is a large quadrupedal mammal that is a mammal with four legs like the zebra, horse, deer, sheep, goat, etc.

Most of the species of cow have horns, while some may not have, depending on the region and genetic lineage. There is a lot of variance in cows’ appearance, throughout the globe. In some parts of the world, cows are relatively shorter while in others they are larger with long horns.

A cow is a very calm herbivore; it could be anything but aggressive. Mostly cow displays a little aggression only while protecting its young. Due to its peaceful and non-aggressive nature, cows are very easy to domesticate and are widely used as farm cattle, throughout the globe.

Uses of Cow

Cow is by far the most widely domesticated animal due to its usefulness. It is found as a domesticated animal in almost every human settlement, across the globe. Cows are widely domesticated in rural areas than in urban settlements.

The estimated global population of domesticated cows is over 40 million heads. India, China, and Brazil constitute nearly 30% of the global cow population.

Cows are domesticated for various purposes as listed below-

For Dairy Products
This is one of the most significant reasons for such large scale domestication of a cow. Cows produce milk to feed their young. Milk is a very useful product for humans also. Many other products like butter, cheese, curd, etc. are produced from milk and are widely consumed. The estimated volume of the dairy market is expected to reach 231 metric tons by the year 2021. Liquid milk occupies around 54% share of the dairy market, while the rest is taken up by other dairy products like curd, cheese, butter, etc.

For Meat
Nearly a million cows are slaughtered for meat every day. These are the animals that have served their productive years and are no longer useful. When the cows stop producing milk, due to old age or some other reasons, they are taken to a slaughterhouse for meat. However, trading cows for meat is prohibited in countries like India and Nepal, with a majority Hindu population. Hindus revere cows as a mother and any kind of harm to the animal are forbidden by the religion. Though, in the western world, killing cows for meat, once they become redundant, is quite common practice.

For Hide
The leather industry today is a multi-million dollar industry and millions of cows are killed globally for their hide. The meat industry generates a good amount of its profit by skin sales. The United States is the largest producer of skin accounting for an annual supply of 1.1 million tons. Such animals live in a poor environment in leather factories and are also fed less, just enough to keep them alive for a few days. The skin is then used for producing leather, which in turn is used for making several consumer goods like shoes, belts, jackets, purse, etc.

Conclusion

Cow is a highly useful animal for humans. Cows, through milk and other by-products, sustain billions of families throughout the world. Cows have become so integral to the human settlement at some places that it runs the economy. Many rural families in India, China and Africa depend solely on milk and milk products for their daily needs.