A calf suckles from Chouthi Bai

Date

2010

Description

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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