Bharatpur, Dec. 26 -- Villagers in Bharatpur have taken matters into their own hands to protect their fields from stray animals reportedly after facing repeated losses to their Rabi crops and receiving no assistance from the district administration. Kasoda village, located around eight kilometres from the district headquarters, has been suffering heavy crop damage due to stray cattle entering fields. With mustard and wheat crops at risk, worried farmers collectively decided to establish a community-funded cow shelter to control the menace. Villagers came together and prepared a temporary gaushala on agricultural land near the village. Stray cattle roaming in and around the area were safely shifted to the shelter. Each household contributed money to arrange fodder, tents and drinking water facilities for the animals. Anup Singh, a villager, said that stray cattle regularly destroy winter crops, forcing farmers to stay awake throughout the night to guard their fields. He said that after donations were collected from every household, proper arrangements for fodder and water were made for the cattle. Another villager, Hemu Singh, said that earlier, attempts to shift stray animals to government-run cow shelters had failed as the shelters refused to accept them. As a result, villagers decided to set up their own cow shelter to protect their crops. Two shifts involving local men have been decided to take care of the animals round-the-clock. Kapil Singh said that a veterinary doctor is called whenever any animal falls ill. Earlier, stray cattle were often beaten or chased away from one place to another, but now more than 100 stray animals have been given safe shelter at the village gaushala....