--- title: "German woman runs Mathura cow refuge caring for 2500+ cows" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/german-woman-cow-refuge-mathura-ylxz4 publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Society published: 2026-09-04T16:00:33.757Z modified: 2026-09-04T18:00:04.294Z language: en-IN --- # German woman runs Mathura cow refuge caring for 2500+ cows A German-born woman who moved to India at 20 administers a Mathura gaushala housing 2,500+ rescued cows. Founded in 1996, the facility shelters ill and abandoned cattle and operates without selling milk, sourcing it from outside when needed. ## Key takeaways - Friederike Bruning, aka Sudevi Dasi, established Radha Surabhi Gaushala in 1996 in Radha Kund, Mathura. - The facility currently cares for more than 2,500 sick, injured or abandoned cows and does not depend on selling milk for revenue. - The broader trust reports benefiting 15,700 cows over the last three years, and Bruning received the Padma Shri in 2019 for social work and animal welfare. ## What Happened A German-born woman, Friederike Irina Bruning, who is also known as Sudevi Dasi, lives in Radha Kund, Mathura, where she oversees a home for more than 2,500 sick, injured and abandoned cows. She arrived in India at age 20 while seeking a spiritual life, eventually settling in Radha Kund in the Braj region. Her work began after she rescued a calf with a broken hind leg and maggot-infested wound found by the roadside; this act of care inspired ongoing support for additional cows who were brought to her over time. In 1996, she established Radha Surabhi Gaushala, a facility described as a refuge for cows perceived as unwanted due to illness, injury, blindness, disability or abandonment. The site provides shelter, food and ongoing care, with a policy of keeping mothers and calves together. The gaushala does not operate as a milk-producing enterprise; when milk is required, it is purchased from external sources to feed orphaned calves. Today, the center cares for more than 2,500 cows. According to the Foundation, the broader trust behind the work has benefited about 15,700 cows over the past three years. The story notes recognition for Bruning’s efforts, including a national honor awarded in 2019 for social work and animal welfare. Bruning’s life and work have been framed as a transition from a personal spiritual search to a long-term commitment to animal welfare, with the gaushala described as a home rather than a facility focused on milk production. The account emphasizes the didactic element of her example—an expatriate dedicating herself to creatures that cannot advocate for themselves. ## Why It Matters The Radha Surabhi Gaushala represents a long-running model of animal welfare that prioritizes care and dignity for cows, including those deemed unproductive or vulnerable. The facility’s stance against using its own milk production and its reliance on external milk only when needed for calves highlights a resource-use approach that prioritizes animal welfare over production. The case also illustrates how individual philanthropy, even from a foreign-born resident, can scale into a large operation benefiting thousands of animals over decades. ## Background Radha Kund is the location of the gaushala established in 1996 by Bruning. The center functions as a shelter for cows with health or age-related needs and is described as a home for animals that would otherwise be neglected. Bruning’s life trajectory includes moving from Germany to India at a young age and adopting a life of service that culminated in formal recognition in 2019 with a Padma Shri award for social work and animal welfare. ## Key Facts - The shelter is Radha Surabhi Gaushala, located in Radha Kund, Mathura. - Bruning arrived in India at age 20 to pursue a spiritual life. - She started the Gaushala in 1996. - The facility cares for over 2,500 cows today. - Milk is not produced for sale at the gaushala; when needed, milk is bought from external sources to feed orphaned calves. - The broader trust associated with the work reports benefiting 15,700 cows over three years. - Bruning was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019 for her work in social work and animal welfare. ## What Happens Next The article does not specify future plans or upcoming changes to the gaushala’s operations. It notes decades of service and ongoing care for a large cow population, implying continued operation and potential ongoing awareness or recognition of the work, but no concrete next steps are outlined in the source material. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/german-woman-cow-refuge-mathura-ylxz4 Reported from: Multiple Sources