Battle of Shambo: Hindus try to prevent slaughter of bull

An explosive cultural stand-off between the Government and Britain's Hindu community is looming in the formidable shape of a six-year-old black Friesian bull named Shambo.

Hindus from around the country are threatening to form a human chain to prevent the slaughter of the animal, which they regard as sacred, after it tested positive for tuberculosis.

Furthermore, they say that if serious attempts are made to kill Shambo, who forms part of a herd kept by the Skandavale Temple in Llanpumsaint, Carmarthen, south west Wales, Hindus from all around the world will converge on the temple to stop what they see as a religious desecration.

Yet the Welsh Assembly says that no exemptions can be made to the national policy of slaughtering animals testing positive for bovine TB, and does not accept that slaughtering Shambo would be an infringement of the religious rights of the community that owns him.

The looming conflict looks impossible to resolve to the satisfaction of all concerned. On the one hand, bovine TB, which is becoming increasingly common in the national cattle herd, is currently regarded as the most alarming animal health problem facing Britain, and slaughter of infected animals is regarded as essential. (Arguments continue to rage about how much of the spread of the disease is due to the wild badger population.)

On the other hand, cows and cattle are considered sacred to Hindus, who respect them as generous, almost maternal animals. Most of the world's billion or so Hindus do not eat beef, and the slaughter of cattle is legally banned in most of the states of India.

Yesterday, Ramesh Kallidai, secretary-general of the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB), which represents the 700,000 Hindus in the UK, said that killing a sacred temple cow or bull was considered to be "highly sacrilegious" and unacceptable. If necessary the Hindu community would form a human chain to prevent it.

"To have a sacred bull from the temple slaughtered is completely unthinkable for us and is a matter of grave concern," he said. "It strikes at the very core of our beliefs. Killing Shambo will violate our faith tradition and desecrate our temple. It goes against all accepted norms of our faith."

Mr Kallidai called on the Environment Secretary in London, David Miliband, to intervene, although that is unlikely to happen as the issue is officially a matter for the devolved Government in the principality. The Welsh administration is currently in semi-limbo after last week's local elections, with the First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, seeking to form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats to stay in power. The Welsh Assembly Environment Minister, who might have the power to intervene, is currently Carwyn Jones.

"It is very important that sometimes governments understand that if there is a way out of this situation, they should look at that seriously," Mr Kallidai said.

Shambo is one of a herd of 50 animals - 35 cattle and 15 water buffalo - kept on the 115-acre estate belonging to the temple, known as the Community of the Many Names of God, which is a multi-faith monastic centre with three Hindu shrines, founded in 1973 and now attracting more than 90,000 pilgrims every year.

The animal tested positive on a routine TB test of the herd last month - the only one to do so - and the temple has now been served with a slaughter notice informing them that he will have to be put down.

But the temple's leaders say the bull has not developed the disease and is in a "very healthy" condition; he is currently in isolation in a specially-constructed shrine. If he does fall ill, they say, he would be able to recover without risk to other animals. The temple's Swami Suryananda said: "We believe that under the law, ministers have discretion to exempt Shambo from slaughter."

The Welsh Assembly's veterinary department, however, has refused an exemption and has said Shambo must be slaughtered before 21 May.

Hindu leaders are now exploring the possibility of an injunction to stop the slaughter but if that fails they vow they will stop it physically. "We will do whatever it takes to preserve Shambo," Swami Suryananda said. "People will come from all over Britain, and not just from Britain but from all over the world - if the Government refuses to respect the core values of the Hindu religion."

A spokeswoman for the Welsh Assembly said: "TB in cattle is an infectious disease that has a significant impact on the health and welfare of the national cattle herd in Wales.

"It is a disease that is transmissible to humans and other mammals, which means it has serious implications beyond the health of cattle. Wales, in common with many other countries, implements a control policy, based on testing and the slaughter of animals believed to be infected, in order to protect both human and animal health.

"We fully understand that this can be distressing for the owners, but these measures are in place to protect public health and animal health and prevent the further spread of the disease."

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