78 cows have died at the privately-run government-aided cattle shelter in 24 hours (Representational)
A total of 78 cows belonging to a privately-run government-aided cattle shelter in Churu district have died of suspected food poisoning in the last 24 hours, an official said on Saturday.
While 78 cows have died since Friday night, a few others are sick, said an official of the state's Animal Husbandry Department.
Prima facie, the animals died of food poisoning, said Animal Husbandry Department's joint director, Dr Jagdish.
He said the teams of the department are present in the cow-shelter located in Bilyubas Rampura village in Sardarshahar.
The fodder samples have been collected for testing, he added.
The death of such a large number of cows occurred on a day before 'Gopasthmi'', a festival dedicated to cows and Lord Krishna.