A calf suckles from Chouthi Bai, 2010

Back 100 Faces of Nonhuman Encounter

Date: 2010


Creator of the image: Vinay Joshi Date of the image creation: 29 November 2010 Medium: Photograph Person depicted: Chouthi Bai In the tiny dry village of Kilchu, in India’s desert state, Rajasthan, the mother of a calf died when it was only three days old. A fifty-year-old local, Chouthi Bai began breastfeeding the calf three or four times a day, supplementing its diet with chapatis and water. This behaviour apparently caused the calf to follow her around all day, and she also became something of an attraction, with curious visitors coming to the village to see her caring for her adopted pet. Hindi’s consider the cow a sacred animal, and Bai said to a reporter that ‘The gods will be pleased if I raise her.’ This photograph was included by Reuters in their 2010 Pictures of the Year in the ‘Strange and unusual’ category.

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