Wildlife authorities in the western state of Gujarat have been forced to abandon a plan to cull a species of antelope because of objections from religious politicians who regard the animals as sacred cows.
Legislator Bhavin Seth, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP], said last week that the mass killing would also amount to cruelty.
Although zoologists classify the nilgai as an antelope, in Hinduism and Jainism - an offshoot of Hinduism - it is regarded as a cow.
Nil means blue and gai means cow in ancient Sanskrit, the name a reference to their grey-blue pelt.
Roaming in herds across Indian grasslands, nilgais descend from hillsides at night to raid farmers' crops.
Drought-stricken farmers in Gujarat recently appealed to the government for help, and in response the state's wildlife authority decided to cull about 10,000 nilgais.
There are thought to be about 970,000 nilgai in the state.
