1-ton 'Khoka Babu' waits to grace Tangail cattle market

"Khoka Babu," a cow weighing around 27 maund (or 1,016 kg or one ton), from Tangail's Nagarpur upazila is waiting to grace the cattle market ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha and already creating a buzz in the locality.

The black and white Friesian cow was given the unusual name fondly by its owner Kashem Mia.

"The price will depend on the demand, but I am expecting a price of  Tk12 lakh," Kashem said, adding that many locals have already visited his house to get a glimpse of the cow.

"I asked for advice at the upazila livestock extension office regarding how I should raise the cow . They said if the cow is fed a balanced natural diet, the cost of raising and the risks that come in the process will go down. And safe meat could be produced,” Kashem also said.

The cow was fed hay, grass, molasses and rice husk while routine vaccines and medicines for intestinal worms were delivered to it, said Kashem.

Kashem further said he took Khoka to walks on a regular basis and proper hygiene was ensured for the animal. "No medicines or injections have been used to fatten the cow. If I get a fair price I will try to raise better quality cows in future."

Upazila livestock extension officer Ashik Salehin in line with Kashemsaid  local food was fed to the Friesian cow for raising .

"To my knowledge it's the largest cow in Nagarpur upazila. Farmers in our country have been raising this variety of cattle for sometime," he added.