The Hindu temple at the centre of the Shambo saga - Skanda Vale - has hit the headlines again. Apparently it has had to have two more animals slaughtered because of bovine TB. The Welsh Assembly has also remarked on a "worrying pattern of test results from other cattle in the herd at Skanda Vale".
The temple says that killing the cattle is wrong because the animals are sacred and should be allowed to live out the full natural span of their lives. But what does natural span mean bearing in mind the following quotes on the temple's website:
Bhakti was an elderly jersey bullock. He had arthritis and difficulty walking. We cared for him for many years working with our veterinary surgeon to ensure that he had the necessary medication to manage his condition and that his quality of life was maintained to the highest standards. We would no more consider it acceptable to kill an elderly frail bullock than it would be to kill an elderly frail gentlemen.
Our oldest cow, Gauri, is twenty one years old and Mooki, our oldest bullock, is 15 years old. Gauri’s teeth are worn down because of her age so she is fed a special mix of sugar beet, maize bran and alfalfa grass. Mooki can stand up, but because of arthritis he cannot walk more than a few steps. He is comfortable on one side only, and if he sits down in the wrong position the monks have to turn him over to his more comfortable side. This manoeuvre takes four monks and needs to be done five times a day.