A baffling claim has been made by none other than Uttarakhand Animal Husbandry Minister Rekha Arya, who said the cow is the ‘only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it’.

Her remarks came on the floor of the Uttarakhand Assembly on Wednesday when a resolution was passed, seeking the status of ‘rashtra mata’ (mother of the nation) for the cow.

Experts rubbished the claim, saying there is no living being - except for plants - which exhales oxygen. During photosynthesis, plants give off oxygen as a waste product, reports the India Today.

India Today Fact Check team reached out to the minister to verify her statement.

Arya reiterated, ‘I believe that the cow not only inhales oxygen, but it exhales too. Cow is the source of purest form of many products such as milk and ghee. So, it is guaranteed that there is no negative energy inside her. Based on this theory, I think cow both inhales and exhales oxygen.’

We consulted a Zoology professor from the Delhi University (DU) who explained the basics of the respiratory system in animals.

Soma M. Ghorai, Assistant Professor at the Department of Zoology, Hindu College, said, ‘Of the 21 per cent oxygen we inhale, our body utilises hardly 4-5 per cent of it. Rest is released. We exhale carbon dioxide and other gases along with the residual oxygen. This process stands same for all living beings, including cow.’

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica,’ Respiratory system is the system in living organisms that takes up oxygen and discharges carbon dioxide in order to satisfy energy requirements.

In the living organism, energy is liberated, along with carbon dioxide, through the oxidation of molecules containing carbon.’