Meet The Bishnoi Tribe Who Raise Animals Like Their Own Offsprings, Breastfeeds Them

Their belief may be a shock to outsiders, but to the ‘Bishnoi’ tribe, it’s their way of life, animals are just as much a part of the family as their own offspring, according to Dailymail.

The tribe, especially the nursing mothers are known to have been keeping orphaned and injured fawns for more than half a century and couldn’t imagine it being any other way.

”These baby deers are my life and they’re like my own children,’ said Mangi Devi Bishnoi, 45, a housewife from one of the villages.

” I feed them milk and food and ensure they’re given proper care and attention in the house like all my family members.

”They are not orphans when they have us around, they have new mothers like me who offer them a mother’s feed for a healthy life.”

These tribe are religious groups who worships nature, the reason being that they live next to jungles and deserted ares. They grow up playing with all sorts of animals in the jungles and they fear none of the animals.

A 21-year-old student called Roshini Bishnoi who lives in of the villages said, ”I have grown up with these little deers.

”They’re like my brother or sister. It is our responsibility to keep them healthy and help them grow. We play with them and we communicate with each other, they understand our language.”

A Neighbour called Ram Jeevan Bishnoi, 24, added, ”We do not see them as just animals. They are very much like a family member.

”We take care of everything they may need to live a healthy life. We keep them protected in our house so that dangerous animals like wild dogs do not harm them. If they’re injured we keep them safe in our house and treat them like our children.

”My parents have never differentiated between a baby deer and me. We are one family and it is in our religion to protect them.”

The Bishnoi community is made up of around 2,000 homes. They take care of the flora, fauna and protect the animals from the summer heat or potential poachers.

However, the deer is believed to be a sacred animal of the community and is given preference.

Another neighbour called Ram Jeevan said: ”We have followed this way of living for over 550 years with a lot of love and affection.

”We are very protective of our animals, especially the babies. We are helping them. Feeding them is what they need. We are very proud of what we do.”