Sacred and stray: Policy analysis for managing cattle population

The challenge of managing stray animal populations, which significantly impacts agricultural economies worldwide, has not been fully addressed in the extant literature. This paper examines the complexities of stray cattle management, with a particular focus on India, where laws prohibiting cattle slaughter contribute to the issue of unproductive cattle. Our findings indicate that in the short term, government funding should be directed towards strategies such as sexed-semen usage and sterilization, while sheltering proves effective in the long term. The policy of adoption shows effectiveness only when incentives are increased. Using System Dynamics Modeling, this study analyzes the impact of key policy interventions on the stray cattle population and proposes an optimal policy mix by evaluating the effectiveness of different interventions. The results highlight the necessity of strategic budget allocation and integrating diverse policies to control and manage the stray cattle population effectively.