The beef ban not only created unrest in North East but also affected an unexpected quarter – The big cat which includes lions, tigers and leopards whose favourite food is no longer finds its place in the menu.
Carnivores such as lions, tigers and leopards are now being fed chicken and mutton rather than their usual staple beef, said S.D. Saste, the park’s assistant conservator.
According to critics, tougher anti-beef laws show favoritism against Muslims, Christians, Dalits, OBCs, etc., and worry them that it could pave the way to a nationwide ban that would threaten thousands of jobs.
Drought brought on by a delayed and inadequate monsoon hits the farmers and most want to put up their livestock on sale for not having enough fodder and water.
Scores of people, mostly from the Muslim community, will be rendered jobless in the beef trade and related industries.
“My business is ruined. Farmers are offering cattle at much lower prices but I can’t buy because slaughtering is illegal now,” said Asif Qureshi, a cattle supplier based in Baramati, Maharashtra.
The ban on beef will also have an effect on supply of hides to tanneries.
“Around 10 percent of my hide supplies coming from Maharashtra would be hit. Prices of hides may rise in the short term,” said Ashish Das, director, Hides International, a tanner and maker of bags in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
The Goa CM, another BJP-led state, has refused to support the ban, saying that two-fifths of people there eat beef and it is an integral part of the cuisine of the minority community which he respects.
Their numbers could puff up by 200,000 in Maharashtra only since farmers leave behind animals they can’t sell, according to the beef trade.