The Top 10 Animal Questions about India you were afraid to ask…

Top 10 Animal Q&A (India edition):

1. Q: If people are starving in India, why don’t they just eat the cows? A: Cows are considered sacred and holy in Hinduism. Cows are thought to have a strong maternal “caretaker” nature. Although they are not eaten, they are used as a source for milk and butter. 
2. I see cows roaming the streets everywhere in India. Do they belong to somebody? Who feeds them? A: Because cows are sacred, they are free to roam. However, they may ‘belong’ to somebody in the sense that they (female cows) often return to the same home every night (as they are fed by human ‘owners’ in return for milk and butter etc.). Males are free to do their thing.
   

   You can also ‘adopt’ cows apparently.

3. Q: OK, so if you can’t eat cows, why do people eat Water Buffalo? A: Because they are not cows – and they are delicious.
4. Q: Who feeds all the animals in the streets (monkeys, dogs, bulls)? A: Everyday people do – because, Karma. You’ll often see people put out water or bags of veggies (or trash) for animals to munch on.
5. Q: Monkeys are super-cute! I want to pet them, but I heard that they bite. Can I pet them? A: You should never try to pet a wild monkey. Don’t try to tease them either. Monkeys may attack you. Monkey bites are common especially among women and children. There are two types of common urban monkeys in India: Macaques and Langurs. Both bite. They are wild animals and you should not feed them because they should be eating natural, healthy, organic foods in the jungle – not drinking your Pepsi and eating your Doritos. 
6. Q: Where can you see Tigers? A: Tigers are critically endangered –  there are only about 1,500 of them left in the wild in India. With that said, there are several national parks and preserves where it is still possible to see a tiger in the wild. CNN put out this list. I can vouch for Ranthambore!
7. Q: Wait, India has tigers AND lions AND bears? A: Yes, India has the last remaining Asiatic Lions on Earth; they can only be found in the wild at the Gir Forest National Park in western India. India actually has several species of bear, the largest being the sloth bear (a close relative of the brown bear).
8. Q: Wow, I’ve seen some crazy looking giant beehives. Why don’t they just call an exterminator? A: You are likley looking at the hive of the Indian hive bee, Apis cerana indica (Apidae), AKA the Indian Honey Bee. The reason you may see so many giant bee hives is that the honey is extremely valuable especially in large quantities. Property owners may let the hives grow large so that they can pay the beekeepers a removal fee in Honey, and keep the rest for themselves.
9. Q: What is that large black bird I see in the sky everywhere? A: Probably the Indian Black Kite. It is a medium-sized bird of prey that has a year-round range in India and is very successful in almost any environment. 
10. Q: That’s not a “real” King Cobra the snake charmer has, is it? A: Yes, its a real living breathing cobra. It is also de-fanged.

Cheers!