Slaughter Fight For 'Sacred' Bull
WALES - A Tiny West Wales hamlet is at the centre of what could develop into a major international incident – all because of a bull and bovine TB.
14 May 2007
1 minute read
Hindu leaders fighting to save the ‘sacred’ animal from slaughter say that destroying the animal could spark protests from followers across the world.
At the heart of the affair is a black six-year-old commercial beef bull called Shambo, who has been issued with a slaughter notice after a routine bovine TB test proved positive. The deadline for carrying it through expires next weekend.
The problem is that the bull belongs to the little known Skanda Vale Temple, which is situated at Llanpumsaint, in Carmarthenshire, and home to a community of 20 Hindu monks and six nuns.
The 115-acre site, which is also known as the Many Names of God temple, has three Hindu shrines which attract upwards of 90,000 pilgrims every year.
Bulls and cows are venerated as the embodiment of all family virtues in Hindu beliefs and any thoughts of killing one is sacrilege.
Not surprisingly the arrival of a slaughter-notice last week sparked an immediate wave of protests aimed at saving Shambo.
The Hindu Forum of Britain has become involved and reports in newspapers across India have warned of ‘serious repercussions’ if the bull is put down.
Source: FarmersGuardian
Alternatively for further reading on Bovine Tuberculosis, click here.
