This is the heartwarming moment a calf suffering from lumpy skin disease was rescued by locals in India.

Footage shows the visibly weak bovine lying on the grass while members of the Atal Kamdhenu Gau Sewa Sansthan injected vaccines into its neck in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, on October 31.

Lumpy Skin Disease is a viral infection that primarily affects cattle and buffalo, characterised by fever and nodules on the skin, mucous membranes, and internal organs. The virus, a type of Capripoxvirus, is spread mainly by biting insects such as flies and mosquitoes.

Atal Kamdhenu Gau Sewa Sansthan was founded by Deepak Upadhyay and Guru Prabhakar Mishra in 2017. Their mission is to provide a safe space for abused animals and offer treatment.

In India, devout locals follow Hindu customs, with cows regarded as sacred animals that cannot be eaten or slaughtered once they have stopped producing milk. The majority of states ban the sale or slaughter of cows.

Instead of dealing with the economic burden of keeping their spent cattle, many farmers let the animals roam the streets, leading to chaos when they become agitated and turn their fury on humans.