Shambo was put to sleep after contracting TB despite protests from the Hindu community. A lot of work needs to be done now to prevent the recurrence of such events.
Shambo the temple bull, as he was known in the worldwide virtual community, was put to sleep last week. Shambo belonged to the Hindu temple in the Skand Vale community in Wales. Some months ago he was tested positive for TB and as per existing Welsh laws he was required to be put to sleep. The Hindu community of Wales and world over was outraged. In July the High Court gave Shambo a reprieve. Two reasons cited are important. Shambo could have been isolated and the TB treated. Taking this into account the killing of Shambo would violate the religious sentiments of the Hindus and their basic human rights. However the Welsh Government went in appeal, which they won. Despite protests the act of putting Shambo to sleep using a lethal injection was carried out.
I do not support the decision of the Welsh Government buy I do understand it. They have followed a practice that has been in place for 50 years. The bovine epidemic that struck the United Kingdom some years back is still fresh in everyone’s minds. They could have perhaps taken a more lenient interpretation of the law, especially after the High Court verdict, but they chose not to. I guess they feared reprisals from other sections of society and did not want to set up a precedent without complete consideration of the consequences. In a society when interests clash one party is bound to feel aggrieved and in this case the Hindu community has come to grief. Perhaps this was Shambo’s karma.
But the crusade has just begun. The society at large and the authorities in particular need to be educated about the gravity of this issue. Cows are sacred to Hindus. We worship them and treat them like family. When a human contracts a contagious disease he or she is isolated and treated. He or she is not put to sleep. In fact mercy killing is illegal in most parts of the world. The same should apply to sacred animals. The authorities need to be convinced that isolation will be perfectly maintained and required procedures will be followed. And the temples have to ensure that proper testing and when required proper isolation is maintained. Laws will need to be changed once the mindset of society is changed.
Protesting after the occurrence of the event is soon forgotten and is of little use if the event recurs. Hence let us start on this task so that we are better prepared the next time round.
