Most of us are used to seeing some four-legged animals out and about while we’re riding. Dogs, cats, squirrels, and chipmunks are pretty much expected. Of course, we all fervently hope that deer and elk are too busy doing their thing to leap out in front of us. However, in Nepal, abandoned cows—including calves—are a major problem. Luckily, one kind-hearted biker and his team are doing all they can to save abandoned cattle and nurse them back to health.
The Heroes We Need And Deserve:
There’s something of a catch-22 happening in Nepal. Cows are sacred, so it’s illegal to kill or harm them in a way that has immediate consequences. Keeping cattle is commonplace. Unfortunately, when cows are too old to give milk anymore, or bull calves simply exist and can’t either give birth or milk, they instead get ‘set free.’ It’s often a long, slow death sentence for these cattle out on the street.
In the latest episode of Throttle Out, motojournalists and MotorTrend presenters Ari Henning and Zack Courts pay a visit to Nepal’s Bovine Biker. He’s a man who runs a cattle sanctuary, and regularly rescues abandoned calves using nothing but a few extra hands and his trusty 150cc Yamaha.
BB usually rides out with at least one other person to help—four is good, because calves can be pretty hefty. They don’t each ride on a separate bike. Instead, they ride two-up so that any calf they bring back can be positioned safely on the lap of a pillion rider.
Whether because they’re calm by nature or just not usually feeling very well, the calves in all the video footage I’ve seen seem to sit pretty still as they zip around the busy city streets. BB then heads straight back to his cattle sanctuary to examine and medicate the new addition as necessary. Then, the calf goes into quarantine until they’re sure it’s well enough to be mixed in with the healthy main herd at the sanctuary.
Not all heroes wear capes!