In the Philippines, we have lots of stray dogs. In India, they have stray cows.

You’ll see cows aimlessly wandering on the road. Some are sitting under the shade, cooling off from the searing heat. Others are at the garbage heap searching for lunch. Generally these bovine gods are slow and dormant, but occasionally they can get violent. A French backpacker I met got rammed by a cow’s horns while crossing a narrow street. I wonder if anyone owned the cows since they roam freely everywhere.

According to one local I met, these cows are on the streets because their owners have abandoned them. I learned that cows treated as pets because of their divine stature in Indian society. However, when the cow stops producing milk, the owner disowns them to fend for themselves. Another local said that these stray cows actually have owners. The cows spend the day grazing with their "friends" and then come home for supper. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a cow walking around at night.

In other news in the animal kingdom, I thought I was dreaming when I saw a full-grown monkey riding behind a bicycle. Apparently, the campus dorm I was staying in was surrounded by small monkeys. To keep the primates away, the school officials "hired" an alpha male monkey to guard the dormitory. He's tied to a huge tree in the dorm lawn and has kept the hall monkey-free. I guess he's having time off as he was out and about.