In Odisha’s Ganjam, a veterinary doctor removed 40 kg of plastic, including polythene bags, from a cow’s stomach at a government hospital.Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) Anjan Kumar Das said the complicated surgery lasted nearly three hours, during which doctors extracted polythene bags and other undigested materials from the five-year-old cow. The animal is now stable and will remain under observation at the hospital for about three weeks to recover.

According to veterinary surgeon Satya Narayan Kar, who led the operation, stray cows often consume leftover food wrapped in plastic bags that are dumped in open areas. “Stray cows, which feed on leftovers discarded in plastic bags, consume plastic materials. This leads to intestinal blockages. If left untreated for long, the animals may die,” he explained.

The cow, around five years old, had been in severe pain for days. Despite two days of on-the-spot treatment, its condition did not improve. It was later shifted from the Hilpatna area to the government veterinary hospital in an animal ambulance on Sunday. The animal had been struggling to pass stool and urine and was repeatedly kicking its belly in pain, said Kar.

A clinical examination revealed a large accumulation of plastic waste in its stomach, forcing doctors to perform a three-hour-long surgery. After the operation, the cow is reported to be stable but will remain under observation in the hospital for three weeks to recover fully. This is not the first such incident in Ganjam. In 2023, veterinary surgeons at the same hospital had removed around 30 kg of plastic waste from another stray cow.

Environmental activist Sudhir Rout pointed out that the case underlines the rampant use of polythene in Silk City, despite a government ban on its use, transport, and manufacture. He urged the Berhampur Municipal Corporation to strictly enforce existing rules and crack down on the circulation of plastic, warning that such negligence endangers not only the environment but also the lives of animals that unknowingly ingest the hazardous material.