In Search of the Bhutti Cow

I first heard of the Bhutti cow two years ago from a bicycle store owner in Bongshal, old Dhaka. He said that this beautiful petite cow shows up occasionally at Eid cattle markets. I asked several other knowledgeble people - well, as knowledgeable as city people could be about cows, I suppose - but no one had heard of it. As this year's Eid drew near, the Bhutti cow stirred my imagination. Was it real? Or is the Bhutti a Kutti(*) myth?

One of my literary heroes, Peter Matthiessen, had scoured the Himalayas looking for the elusive snow leopard, while another hero, Redmond O'Hanlon, put himself in harm's way in African jungles looking for the elusive Mokele-mbembe dinosaur. If they could do it, surely I could brave the smelly mess in Gabtoli's Eid cattle market (the largest in the city) in search of the elusive Bhutti cow, no?

I set out, ready with camera to record my discoveries. The bus dropped me a kilometer away from the cattle market. Long before I saw the sign, I smelled the cattle stench. But the entrance was just as impressive:



...and it seemed the market extended for miles in all directions.



There were decorated cows...



...and hungry cows...



...and maybe some sneaky ones!



The bullshit potential was astounding...



...and you really did not want to get stuck at the wrong place.



Well, anyways... After lots of searching I did find a Bhutti cow. It was less than half the size of a "normal" bull.



Here is a close up:



So there you have it. What's my next adventure you ask? I am told that the "monkeys" in Lawachherra National Forest are, in reality, the only native ape species in the entire subcontinent. Sounds far-fetched, but I plan to check them out soon...

(*) Kutti - pronounced KooTTee - is the name given to people and culture of old Dhaka, specially their witty jokes.