Vanishing Heritage: Indigenous Cattle

Sai Sampath Mettu is an environmentalist wildlife conservationist and a passionate advocate for sustainable agricultural practices. As the honorary wildlife warden of Telangana's erstwhile Ranga Reddy district he tirelessly worked to protect wildlife halt forest encroachments and promote environmental education. His leadership of the UNEP-accredited ECO FAWN Society has brought global recognition to their efforts in addressing ecological crises including invasive species management and biodiversity conservation he has positively initiated steps through the Parliamentary Committee to stop encroachments across the country in 2015 the Hon’ble Committee through him identified and extent of 16.21 lakh Ha of forest land encroached.In addition to his professional accomplishments Sai Sampath has a deeply personal connection to the theme of this book. As a dedicated caretaker of 50 cows he has endured immense challenges including hostility from herders neighboring farmers and even their own family members. Despite facing abuse and witnessing harm inflicted on cattle Sampath has remained steadfast nurturing cow family with patience and unwavering commitment. When asked why he continues to expand his responsibility for the cows he simply responds... “I was swayed by the compelling electoral promise made by prominent political parties assuring that once in power they would link cattle herding to the MGNREGA scheme”This profound bond and lived experience form the heart of his exploration into the decline of cattle in Telangana making this work a unique blend of personal narrative and critical analysis.This book is both a labor of love and an urgent call to action drawing from personal experiences and in-depth research to highlight the decline of cattle in Telangana and its broader implications for rural livelihoods and ecological balance.