nagpur though beef ban was brought into force to protect cows it ended up being a tool for majority appeasement feel activists challenging the maharashtra animal preservation act 1976 director of humane society international india n g jayasimha also a member of animal welfare board of india awbi says according to the 19th livestock census of india 2012 the number of cow and other female bovines is only rising the number of cows increased from 201 million in 2007 to 215 million in 2012 while that of bulls and bullocks reduced from 103 million to 84 million the ban was brought under the premise that the bovine population was declining the figures show females increasing as they are used for milk production value of the cow is more in its milk not beef says jayasimha the constant cycle of pregnancy calving separation and milking takes a physical and mental toll on cows reducing average lifespan from 15 years to just 5 as the cow becomes unviable at a young age it is sent for slaughter thanks to the ban farmers are forced to retain cows that are neither milching nor can be used for other agricultural purposes as they are physically incapacitated from intensive confinement and constant pregnancies it is obvious the farmer will either sell the animal to a slaughter house to avoid detection or abandon it on the streets where it may die of starvation road kill or ingestion of excess plastic adds the awbi member