S. KOREA DONATES COWS TO NEPAL

[Anchor Lead]

In hands with a civic group, the South Korean government decided to send over 101 Korean dairy cows to Nepal, as part of their plan to help boost the productivity of the South Asian country's dairy industry and assist the socially vulnerable to gain financial independence. Some 40 cows were sent first Thursday, and Korean farmers who also received help from overseas when they just started their farming businesses after the Korean war, made heart-warming contributions.

[Pkg]

Dairy cows in specially designed cages are moved to the plane one by one. Ten tons of cattle feed and devices for controlling temperature and humidity during the four-and-a-half hour flight are also loaded. Of the 101 cows bound for Nepal, 42 have already left. They will be distributed to 50 farms in Nepal to produce milk and be used in genetic modification. With many low-lying areas, Nepal has a large livestock industry. The dairy sector accounts for 9 percent of the nation's GDP, but its breeding technologies remain underdeveloped and livestock breeds are quite limited. As a result, the per-cow milk production in the country is less than a tenth of that in Korea. These cows from Korea were funded by sponsors and donated by local dairy farmers. Korea's livestock sector also began with just 900 dairy cows sent from the U.S. after the Korean War.

[Soundbite] (Audio file of activist who participated in the donation (early 1960s))

The donations were provided by Korean farmers who also received help from overseas when they just started their businesses. They include Lee Jae-bok, who has grown his farm from just two cows to hundreds, and a third-generation farmer who inherited his business from his parents and grandparents.

[Soundbite] Lee Hye-won(Heifer Korea) : "We are very grateful to the farmers for willingly donating their cows, which are like children to them."

It's the first time that live cows were sent overseas. Finding a cargo plane was a challenge because renting Ukrainian cargo planes is impossible due to the ongoing war, but a Korean airliner agreed to remodel one of its passenger planes into a cargo plane to help out.

[Soundbite] Chung Hwang-keun(Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) : "It's about improving Korea's reputation. We used to be a country that needed help, but now we can give help."

This precious gift from Korea to Nepal was made possible thanks to help from various organizations and individuals.