Leaving the house in Madurai frequently means dodging massive, unmoving cows and bulls on the street. This has become an everyday reality for local residents, who are increasingly frustrated by the city’s rampant stray cattle issue.

Owing to the rising population of stray dogs and cows roaming the temple city, councillors too have renewed their urgent appeals to the Corporation authorities to implement effective control measures.

Though the Madurai City Corporation, armed with two vehicles and a team of five, claims to be engaging in capturing strays across 100 wards in the city, the menace continues to grow unabated. This has left residents frustrated by the stark lack of resources dedicated to the crisis.

At a recent council meeting, several councillors raised alarm over the stray cattle menace, noting that it has caused numerous accidents.

They highlighted that two-wheeler riders are the primary victims, frequently suffering falls when cattle resting on dark roadsides suddenly step into the path of oncoming night commuters.

They added that the cattle also loiter on busy roads, disrupting daytime vehicular traffic.

The issue is especially severe in Zone I—particularly across Wards 6, 7, 8, and 19 in areas like Anaiyur, Iyer Bungalow, Kannanendal, Thiruppalai, and Moondrumavadi—as well as in K.K. Nagar, Koodal Pudur, and Villapuram, among other neighbourhoods, they pointed out.

“These freely roaming cows and bulls pose a severe threat to morning commuters rushing to work on motorcycles,” said Althaf, a tea stall owner near Mattuthavani bus stand.

He emphasised that the Corporation needs to launch a coordinated, continuous 10-day drive across all five zones to effectively end the menace.

Otherwise, he warned, cattle owners would simply keep ignoring the authorities’ directives.

An incident in Thabal Thanthi (P&T) Nagar highlighted the danger when a cow plunged into a seven-foot-deep open water channel a few months ago.

Promptly alerted by three children who spotted the trapped animal, Fire and Rescue Services personnel launched an operation and successfully rescued the injured cow.

Cattle owners frequently let their livestock roam free due to a lack of space and the high cost of feed, fully aware of the risk of traffic injuries.

They typically release the animals in the morning and only stable them at night, explained the animal rescuer H. Sai Mayur.

Recalling a similar incident in Iyer Bungalow where open, deep drains pose a constant threat, another resident Ramalingam urged the Madurai Corporation to cover these channels with lids or nets.

Highlighting the difficulty of the situation, he noted that the cow rescued from the P&T Nagar channel was bleeding from its leg but fled the scene in panic before it could receive medical treatment.

Meanwhile, another accident near Mattuthavani underscored the danger. A power cut had knocked out streetlights along Melur Road near the flower market, blinding 55-year-old motorist L. Kaliyappan to a cow resting near a barricade. The ensuing collision dragged both the motorcycle and the animal several meters.

Kaliyappan, who sustained leg and shoulder injuries, noted that he rarely passes that specific stretch without encountering cattle. “Even though I am usually cautious, the combination of poor visibility and the cow sitting low to the ground meant I could only slam on the brakes at the last second,” he said, adding that the cow also suffered injuries to its legs and stomach.

According to a Corporation official, the impounded cows will be taken to Corporation animal shelter at Sellur in a vehicle that can hold six cows and two calves at a time comfortably.

Councillor of ward 64 Solai M. Raja, said, despite residents and councillors repeatedly demanding a strict action plan to curb the menace, the issue routinely fizzles out at council meetings with no concrete answers from civic authorities.

Deputy Mayor T. Nagarajan stated that to reclaim impounded cattle from the shelter, owners must present their identification card and submit a written pledge promising not to let the animals roam unsupervised. Additionally, owners are required to pay a fine of approximately ₹3,000 for a fully grown cow and ₹1,500 for a calf.

Further, he noted, they were taking routine steps to identify and capture cattle and dogs whenever necessary.

“The fine collected from them is used to feed the impounded cattle and dogs,” he stated.

In nearby Dindigul Municipal Corporation too stray cattle could often be seen in many areas including Nagal Nagar, Siluvathur Road, Thadikombu Road and G.T.N. Road. They are also found on Gandhiji New Road near Aranmanaikulam on which buses plying to Madurai, Theni and Batlagundu frequent.

The situation is not different on Tiruchi Road which is an arterial bus route either.

Residents charged that many milch cows were being raised on Nehruji Nagar Road at Marudhanikulam and they are let off on the roads during the day.

Recently, in Virudhunagar, a motorist, who suffered multiple injuries after a milch animal ran across, was rushed to a private hospital in Madurai. Doctors said that the patient was not wearing helmet. Due to internal bleeding and loss of blood, he died.

Doctors at the Government Rajaji Hospital said that on an average, most of the case sheets in the trauma care ward showed that the patients were in the productive age of 19 and 38 years. While there were drunken driving and poor visibility cases, the next cause was due to cattle hit. Though a meagre percentage of the victims may suffer permanent disability, since they were very young, for the rest of their lives they had to be dependent, which means life becomes miserable.

Considering the seriousness, responsible driving should come from every motorist and on the other hand, the authorities should introduce strict enforcement. Of course, the cattle owners should also be educated about the menace they were causing to the society.