Goa Garbage Management Minister Michael Lobo has claimed that stray cattle in the beach villages of Calangute and Candolim have “turned non-vegetarian”, and veterinary specialists have been called to treat them, IANS reported on Sunday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Calangute made these remarks while speaking on the sidelines of a function in Arpora village in North Goa on Saturday. Lobo said 76 stray cattle impounded from Calangute and sent to cow shelters refused vegetarian food, The Indian Express reported.

“We always say cattle are vegetarian,” Lobo said. “But cattle from Calangute have turned non-vegetarian and do not eat grass, gram or the special cattle feed given to them.”

The minister claimed that “the cattle from Calangute and Candolim are used to eating non-vegetarian food such as leftover chicken scraps, stale fried fish from restaurants”.

Earlier, the animals were vegetarian “pure vegetarian”, Lobo claimed. “They would smell non-vegetarian food and move on, but now cattle from Calangute only eat non-vegetarian food.”

The former deputy speaker said it would take the animals four to five days to become vegetarians after medical treatment.

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