Making life easier for the bull

A very large part of our agrarian economy depends on the well being of the bull - that strong draught animal that is still responsible for carrying more load than all the cargo transported by the Indian railways, and ploughing more land than all the working tractors in this country.

Though farmers and bullock cart owners love their animals and know that their livelihood depends on them, many bulls do not manage to live past their prime. The gruelling work (did you know that to plough an acre size plot, a farmer and his bull must walk no less than 70 kilometres?) coupled with poorly made yokes have caused many a bull to die young of neck cancer and other related wounds.

Two new inventions promise to make life a lot easier for the bull, besides being cheaper, more comfortable and more profitable for its owner too.

The bullock drawn tractor

This ingenious creation works as an effective alternative to the expensive, land denuding tractor. It consists of a mechanised contraption that contains all the ploughing, tilling, scything and other tools attached to a simple two wheeler drawn by the bull, with a place on top for the farmer to sit - replete with an umbrella, and storage for water bottles, first aid boxes etc.

It is so simple to operate - like a riding a cycle with no need to balance - that even women and children can work it. Maintenance is simple and user friendly. And of course the mechanisation means that the bull doesn't need to pull and tug in the hot sun. The total cost of this equipment, with all the necessary blades and tools, including replacements, falls within Rs 18000 - lot cheaper than a tractor, without its added environmental drawbacks like fuel consumption, nutrient erosion etc.

The animal friendly bullock cart

An invention of a Bangalore based NGO, this replaces the hard wooden yoke and rusty steel rivets with a half section of a rubber tyre attached to a wooden board by a simple ball bearing mechanism. The rubber tyre is fitted over the bull's neck, and is a lot more comfortable for the bull, while the ball bearing makes it much easier for him to turn around. Fitting this onto an existing cart costs no more than Rs 300 to 400. While this new yoke can be bought from the NGO, it is also quite simple to make at home.

If you're interested in knowing more, contact the Director, Animal Welfare Department, Government of India, Shastri Bhavan, New Delhi 110 001 or email him at jain_rk@lycos.com.

At the Goa SPCA, we have two detailed films on each of these inventions, which we will be glad to arrange to show you. Contact help@goaspca.com for more details.