Jersey cow flak re-moo-ved from Indian exam syllabus

Tuesday 26 January 2021

A controversial chapter claiming Jersey cows are lazy, emotionless and have bad hygiene has been re-moo-ved from an Indian exam syllabus.

The research material for the 'cow science' exam, launched by the Indian Government body responsible for the welfare of cows, is apparently being reassessed due to “technical glitches” following widespread derision in the Indian media and public.

Amongst the material’s claims were that Jersey cows were “very lazy and highly prone to diseases… by not being hygienic enough” and displayed “no emotions."

This was in direct contrast to their “hardy” and “clever” Indian counterparts, who reportedly know how to be hygienic by not sitting in dirty places, and are more emotional because they stand whenever a stranger approaches.

Pictured: The chapter, now removed, featured a 21-point comparison between Jersey and Indian cows, often citing Indian cows' superiority.

According to a report from Indian publication ‘The Print’, the removal comes alongside the butchering of 10 chapters from the revision paper, with an official saying that “reference material was withdrawn due to some technical glitches.”

‘The Print’s’ report further quoted a number of unnamed officials from the Union Animal Husbandry Department - who are the department the body who made the exam is set up under - all stating their embarrassment at the paper, which they said they hadn't been consulted on.

One worker was quoted as saying: “We got to know about this exam through newspapers and felt humiliated afterwards. 

“The initiatives taken by the commission aren’t discussed with the Animal Husbandry Department.”

Pictured: One anonymous official was quoted by the Indian news outlet, 'The Print,' as saying they didn't need to demean other breeds to promote their own.

Making direct reference to the paper’s claims on Jersey cows, another employee in the department said that “you don’t have to promote indigenous cow breeds by demeaning the Jersey or other cow breeds.”

Udder claims made inside the initial 54-page leaflet were that the slaughter of Indian cows could cause natural disasters through ‘Einsteininian pain waves’, and that Indian cows had traces of gold in their urine.

The paper's release was met with a backlash from both public figures in India and the Indian press. The Indian Express released a scathing satirical article musing that there “are no wrong answers — only anti-national ones.”

Similarly, Indian poet Dr Meena Kandasamy bulldozed the claims on Twitter, calling them "quackery under the garb of science."