More cattle at Shambo's temple to be slaughtered

A frail 20-year-old bull named Bhakti and an eight-month-old water buffalo named Dakshini have, like Shambo, tested positive for tuberculosis.

Monks have vowed to resist any attempts to have them killed.

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Last week's attempts by government vets to remove Shambo for slaughter resulted in an all-day stand-off during which monks had to be dragged clear by police as they prayed, and the authorities are desperate to avoid a repeat.

But unless the two diseased animals produce negative results when they are retested next month, which experts believe is highly unlikely, another confrontation seems certain.

Shambo, a six-year-old Friesian bullock, and the other cattle are regarded as sacred by the community at Skanda Vale in West Wales, and its leaders have described his removal as a "desecration".

The monks succeeded in overturning the initial slaughter order in the courts, but the Court of Appeal backed the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The community has a menagerie including an elephant, ten ponies, 13 water buffalo, 12 goats, 40 cows and bulls, two llamas, 20 deer, about 300 poultry and waterfowl, more than 100 fish, five terrapins and more than 20 rabbits.

Apart from the deer, only the cows and water buffalo are thought to be susceptible to bovine tuberculosis. Dakshini and Bhakti both tested positive when inspectors visited the temple last month.

A further five animals produced results classed as inconclusive, but there are fears that when the entire herd undergo compulsory retests next month, more will have become infected. Defra has not said whether the deer will be tested too.

Shambo's post-mortem examination confirmed he had TB, but further laboratory tests are required to find out how infectious he was, so no immediate action is expected to be taken on the other animals.

A spokesman for the temple said: "We are hoping the Welsh Assembly take a co- operative approach so that we do not get the same outcome as with Shambo. Our arguments are still the same. We still believe in the sanctity of life, so for the rest of the herd the arguments remain the same. Killing is not an option for us."

The monks argue that instead of being slaughtered, infected animals could be kept in isolation or sent to a cow sanctuary in India.

They are also hoping to meet ministers to discuss changing the law to give special protection to animals regarded as sacred.

Dyfed Powys Police, which sent 56 officers to help end Thursday's stand-off, said the affair has cost it about £10,000. The total legal bill for the 12-week battle is put at £150,000.