Cow Sanctuary and Biogas

Visakha SPCA now houses over 619 large animals - beautiful beings of cow, bull and 34 buffalo.

As the cow is the most exploited of all living beings our compassion particularly extends to her. Our cow sanctuary, or goshala, was voted a model one in 2000 by Animal Welfare Board of India, Chennai; Union Ministry Of Environment and Forests, New Delhi. We have rescued many from illegal slaughter and abusive situations. From the brink of starvation and abandonment we have brought them to our shelter for refuge. In 2004 alone we rescued 160 cows from the Simhachalam temple and were able to adopt out 30.

Affection knows no species boundaries.

Our city of Visakhapatnam is a major transit for the cruel transport of cattle in lorries . Without food or water, standing huddled together for days almost unconscious then made to walk for miles, we have rescued them from all this.

These innocent animals have given every part of their body for our use. Here at the shelter we are showing the local farmers that the cattle can continue to be useful animals even if they are bulls and unable to give milk or old cows. By contributing their dung and urine they give back to the land. The cow dung is converted to biogas and the urine to medicines. The farmers often dearly love their cattle and they thereby learn how to feasibly keep them. And through the cow's benefit the farmers can keep their land where they can live peacefully with their family and animals, instead of having to leave their land to migrate to the cities to accept low wage back breaking employment.

Workers gathering cow dung which will be converted to fuel at our biogas plant.

However, we urgently need your help in sustaining this kind of protection and your immediate benevolence will begin a new phase of life for these blameless animals.

Please indicate 'Cow Sanctuary' on your check to direct the funds to the Cow Sanctuary. Mail directly to our address in India on our contact page, or send through paypal, or please contact us for mailing addresses in the U.S. You may also directly wire a donation to the Visakha SPCA bank account; please contact us for more information.

Biogas Plant

This biogas plant holds 85 cu. m.  A minimum of 200 cows giving fresh cowdung is needed to run it.  The dung is put into a tank, mixed with water and pushed inside the plant which has two major chambers.  We do in this every evening so that by the next morning the gas is formed ready to be used for the day accordingly.  For cooking we can use it directly but to run or convert to electricity from the gas we need to pass through a generator.  Presently, 10% diesel and 90% biogas can be used.  The finished biogas product can supply electricity or cooking gas to 50 average families or 500 individual members.

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