Crackdown creates meat shortage in most populous India state
After the Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in Uttar Pradesh this month on the back of a resounding electoral victory and named a Hindu priest-cum-politician as the state's chief minister, the government began cracking down on illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops.
The new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, is a strong supporter of laws protecting cows, which are revered by devout Hindus, and has publicly opposed beef consumption.
The majority of the slaughterhouses and meat shops are running without licenses and government approval.
Aquil Ahmad, a meat shop owner in Lucknow, the state capital, said that even though he has a license, he has decided to close his shop in support of others in his fraternity.
Zoos in Lucknow and the neighboring city of Kanpur have sent an urgent message to the state government saying the lions aren't keen on eating goat meat.
The government has received similar complaints from a lion safari park in Etawah that is home to three grown lions and two cubs.