Sacred Cow
Posted on 05/10/2007 4:10:09 AM PDT by James W. Fannin
Welsh Hindus fight to save "Shambo" the sacred bull
Wed May 9, 2007 11:32AM EDT
By Avril Ormsby
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A Hindu group in Wales are fighting to save the life of a bull they believe is sacred from slaughter after it tested positive for bovine tuberculosis.
Followers at the Skanda Vale Hindu temple in the western Welsh town of Llanpumsaint, Carmarthen, are considering forming a human chain in an attempt to save Shambo the temple bull from the abattoir, and have launched a petition on their Web site.
Appeals to the Welsh Assembly and Britain's Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs have failed, and a notice of intended slaughter has been issued.
The Hindu order at Skanda Vale, the Community of the Many Names of God, said in a statement: "If we were to permit DEFRA to kill Shambo it would be an appalling desecration of life, the sanctity of our temples and Hinduism as a whole.
"We could no more allow the slaughter of Shambo than we could the killing of a human being. Ultimately, we will be willing to defend his life with our own."
Swami Suryananda, a senior monk at the Many Names monastery, said the issue had "galvanised" Hindus.
"Shambo is a healthy animal, and we hope we can find a third way with the assembly and DEFRA to save him," he told Reuters.
The current policy of DEFRA is to slaughter any animal that tests positive for the disease, although it said in this particular case it was an issue for the Welsh Assembly.
A spokeswoman for the assembly said: "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."
The Welsh branch of the National Farmers' Union, NFU Cymru, said it had "every sympathy" for the trauma the Hindu religious order must be going through "as many other livestock farmers in the area have already suffered a similar fate".
But it went on to say that "regrettably a holistic approach to the eradication of this disease is essential if we are to stop the spread of TB".
The temple, which has taken legal advice, has argued that vaccination and isolation can prevent the disease from spreading to other cattle and humans. The animal will never enter the food chain, it added.
In the meantime, the community, has constructed a special shrine within its main temple for six-year-old Shambo. © Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
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Sacred Cow
the Welsh Hindu’s are a peaceful bunch and they love their sacred cows. We kinda like sheep, they are everywhere.
each to his own. :->
vimto!
This is “assimilation.”
Shouldn’t that be, “Holy Cow”.
Perhaps they can arrange for a transfer to New Delhi (where the TB shouldn’t bother them so much) and assign a new upstart young calf to take his place?
Shambo... didn’t that star Warren Beatty and Julie Christie?
They’re “galvanised,” which doesn’t sound peaceful to me.
“Welsh Hindus”? Whatever happened to Baptists?
This multicultural business has gone too far.
Perhaps they can arrange for a transfer to New Delhi (where the TB shouldn’t bother them so much) and assign a new upstart young calf to take his place?
That sounds reasonable to me. I think that Hindus really do believe that cows are the Almighty. They are friendly and sincere with their beliefs so I don’t put them down for it. And they are not nor ever to my knowledge bombed anything or anyone.
Well life in the Welsh Valleys kinda gets to you. It’s probably the most excitement they have had for years! :->
regards
You Brits are just too nice :)
This corresponds to the impression I have had about Wales from watching Fireman Sam with my young son. I live in the US and have been to the UK but never to Wales.
Well Fireman Sam is as good an into in Welsh life as any - very funny and full of the small talk that goes on in valley communities.
We are a friendly bunch by and large but a bastion of old school socialist thought (Not me).
Pontypandy rules!
As much as Americans with crucifixes.
““Welsh Hindus”? Whatever happened to Baptists?”
We Baptists would only ask whether it was edible after slaughter and have a barbeque grill already stoked.
TB? Is that some kind of special sauce?
Strictly for the term, what is multicultural about “Welsh Hindu” (Hindu taken as a follower of the religion, not using the term as synonymous with Indian)? (rhetorical—religion is separate from culture [though it can influence it]).
The Hindus (according to the article) are being 'galvanized' to form a human chain to protect the bull. They aren't threatening to blow up a train full of people.
If this was secular, it could be considered a PETA-esque sort of action.
An interesting perspective. A bit on the relativist side, I'd say -- since Catholicism has been a part of western civilization for about 1800 years.
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