·       As a responsible organisation we have sought professional veterinary advice to ensure that the measures we are taking are robust and appropriate to minimise any risk of possible spread of disease either to other animals in our care, other farm animals, wildlife, the members of the Community involved in direct animal husbandry or members of the public visiting the Community for worship.

·       We understand and appreciate DEFRA’s position with regards to public health and containing the spread of TB with the view to eliminate it from the national herd. We have been advised by our solicitors that there is provision both within the Animal Health Act 1981 and the more recent TB order Wales 2006 for permission to treat and vaccinate any animal identified as having TB with the prior consent of the minister for the national Assembly of Wales.

·       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 would be willing to defend his life with our own.

·       We sincerely hope and pray that the officials at DEFRA will respect, not desecrate, the Hindu religion, the sanctity of Shambo’s life and Skanda Vale’s holy Temples.

·       If DEFRA decide to desecrate the Hindu religion and try to kill Shambo, we exhort all those who support the Temple and Sanathana Dharma to come to our assistance.

3rd May 2007

• We have today received a "Notice of Intended Slaughter" from the National Assembly for Wales.

• We are taking steps to challenge this decision  through the courts.

   

   

  4th May 2007

·        Shambo has been isolated from other bovines and from contact with the public in a specially constructed shrine within our main Temple.

Shambo represents Nandi (Lord Shiva's bull)

6th May

We have started a online petition

7th May

Shambo has settled into his new home and is coping well with the pressures of bovine superstardom.

Nearly 600 supporters from all over the world have signed up to our petition in the first 24 hours.

Please tell all your friends to get on their computer and sign the petition.

11th May

Today we had written confirmation from our vet that Shambo is in excellent health and showing no clinical signs of TB.

We also had a visit from the chief veterinary officer for the Welsh Assembly, the head of the TB policy unit and the head of public health. They reviewed Shambo's welfare, his isolation and  the bio security procedures that we had implemented. They were satisfied and we reassured by all our procedures to ensure that there is no risk to animal or public health.

Andrew Dismore MP for Hendon tabled a House of Commons motion which stated, 'that this house expresses concern at the decision of DEFRA inspectors, that Shambo the bull, (part of the herd kept at Skanda Vale Hindu temple and monastery), must be slaughtered; recognised this to be a matter of utmost importance to the Hindu community, with some 90,000 pilgrims visiting Skanda Vale from around the country who regard such slaughter as an act of desecration; and urges the government to use its discretion under section 34 animal health act 1981 to reprieve Shambo'.

Finally Shambo gets a minute in his hectic schedule to update his webpage. We have been inundated with press from all over the country and beyond, people calling in to tell us of their own problems with DEFRA, but above all humongous bovine support - anyway over to Shambo.

Shambo's thoughts for the day:

Whoa, have I got news for you! They all have been out here today. Tomorrow I hear the Queen is paying a visit. I think I hit celebrity status - do they do Big Brother for Bovines.

But anyway chief veterinary officer was here today and I was so relieved, (with her enormous wealth of knowledge),  she said I was in fine fettle. She also said I was perfectly well isolated from wild life, other cows and everything else. But one thing I just don't get is why on earth on the basis of highly inaccurate test they all want to kill me, this officer couldn't quiet answer that one, apparently.

All the monks tell me my Bovine Buddies are calling in from Russia, the States and even Japan. Anyway I want to go back to my nuts, I am being spoilt rotten so don't tell the rest of the herd. I'll have more moos for you tomorrow. Lots of Love, Shambo.

Thanks again for all your support.

14th May

16th May

Shambo's thoughts for the day/Shambo's blog:

It is heartening to know that the Assembly Government are being sensitive. Hopefully, they will soon realise I am also quite a sensitive chap. Tomorrow I'll let you into a few secrets.

Love Shambo   

17th May

David Miliband

secretary of State for Environment ,Food and Rural Affairs

on his blog:

Mahatma Gandhi, truly one of the great figures of the 20th century, believed that the protection of cows was one of the true signs of the Hindu faith.  It is for that reason that the case of Shambo, reported in many newspapers, raises such a high degree of concern for many British Hindus.  Their representatives have written to me about their concern.

Shambo's blog:

Ah, encouraging to see the minister in

England is such an enlightened gentleman, hope the Welsh Assembly will soon appoint someone equally enlightened. 

See this picture of my handsome face since you tend to get my back end most of the time on the much improved Moo tube.

Sorry secrets will have to wait until tomorrow.

love Shambo

22nd May

Support for Shambo is on the increase, his petition has now sailed past  11,000 however the Welsh Assembly's slaughter notice still stands so we still need your continued support.

PLEASE

Sign the petition!

Tell all your friends!

Contact your M.P.!

A rational and constructive approach at this stage would be to carry out further diagnostic tests to find out if he is indeed infected with bovine TB. There are a range of tests available and we hope that the Welsh Assembly; appreciating the sensitivity of the subject, will engage positively to enable these tests to take place.

It is important to understand that the animals at Skanda Vale are not farmed. The community is a unique place, because for us the sanctity of life is paramount and fundamental to our way of life and our pilgrims.

As a major point of pilgrimage for people of all faiths, the community has a duty to uphold the highest human values and to show by example that all life is sacred.

 Shambo's blog:

Shambo has been a bit quiet recently, so we thought we would tell you a little about him.

The picture below is of his mum. She was bought from a nearby farm just over 6 years ago pregnant with Shambo . So they were both saved from slaughter. She is called Shivani, a very gentle motherly Friesian.

SHIVANI - SHAMBO'S MOTHER

Shortly after arriving at  Skanda vale Shambo was born,  she had one last calf after Shambo and is now retired, enjoying a very leisurely life.

23rd May

Shambo's Blog:

Previously  Shambo's mother was known as '51' the number which was burnt onto her coat. For the first few days after her arrival she refused to co-operate with any request! This was understandable - a change of address is a great stress for an animal and on top of that she was four months pregnant. In time she slowly started to trust us, co-operate and above all she became much more relaxed. This was essential as she would be giving birth within twenty weeks.

This is only for people who can not sign the online petition

We have also designed a page with the most frequently asked questions and a poster.

Please help and collect as many signatures you can.  The quicker the better. Inform people about this case and please enlighten your MP, it really does make a difference.

1st June

Sorry to keep you all waiting, this update is long overdue.

Shambo's story is still travelling far and wide, on Wednesday New Delhi television came out and today Shambo was broadcast all over India. He also featured in the Spectator this week and  has appeared on some of the more intelligent and informed web sites.

The intention to slaughter Shambo, just in case he has Bovine TB, still remains. Thankfully Jane Davidson, the new minister for sustainability and rural affairs has now been appointed to the National assembly Government for Wales. We now anticipate the minister will acknowledge the aspiration of the assembly government to not only reflect

but promote Wales as a truly multicultural society. A clear indication of the governments commitment to all members of society would be a decision to use her discretion not to slaughter Shambo but to recognise that a simple, systematic and rational solution is available to accurately diagnose and if necessary treat him, thus respecting the sanctity of life and the religious values of Hindus and all those for whom life is sacred. 

Some of the information released by the Welsh Assembly Government suggests that Shambo’s current condition poses a grave risk to public health and that he is suffering with disease. This is not true. There is no evidence that he is infectious and shedding TB bacteria and our vet has confirmed he is in excellent health. It is important that people are informed with accurate not hypothetical information concerning the law, public health and animal welfare issues

Probably the most important way to help is for the community to personally lobby the Welsh Assembly and DEFRA to raise awareness of the negative impact a decision to cull Shambo would have on the ethnic Communities and the freedom to practice religion.

A solution needs political will and the capacity to think outside the narrow constraints of set policy. There is always room for constructive dialogue and a solution for all parties can be easily reached without the need to kill or compromise animal welfare or public health. A precedent is not set because shambo is not part of the farming model for which the current legislation was intended.

6th June
 

Ministry vets have visited Skanda Vale today and yesterday to carry out a routine bTB skin retest of the remainder of our herd of 52 cattle and water buffalo. We took the precautionary measure of recording all the testing on film. Its seems remarkable that a decision on whether or not to kill an animal is based on a vet gauging a fold of skin in millimetres with a calliper on an animal that is often nervous and moving around. More over the result of the test is determined by in effect measuring the difference between two sets of separate measurements with one set being read 72 hours after the other supposedly with the vet gauging exactly the same fold of skin.

Some of the cattle where nicked by the vets scissors, others scratched the injection site because of obvious irritation, immediately causing noticeable small swellings and cuts in the skin. . Some times when the animals where nervous and moved or jerked slightly it was not entirely clear if the vet injected once or twice to make sure the injection went in the skin.

From a lay persons perspective we cannot see how a reliable result can be derived from such a procedure.

Recent Support

We have been tremendously encouraged by the immense support shown by Hindu organisations across the UK, including Hindu Forum Britain, The Hindu Council UK and the World Council of Hindus. All have expressed their grave concern about the proposed slaughter of Shambo to the new minister Jane Davidson. We have also received huge support not only from people living in Wales and the rest of the UK but also from aboard. This has come from people from all walks of life, all religions, races and cultures.

Our position is that there are accurate diagnostics available which should be used and TB is a treatable condition.

Often in situations such as this it takes considerable political courage to make the first step in the right direction. We hope the new minister, coming from a background of championing social justice and equality, will rise to the challenge and actively engage with the Temple, the Hindu Community and all those for whom the value of life cannot be equated in purely economic terms, in order to find a solution which does not involve killing.

7th June

The Petition has sailed over 15 000 signatories.

The picture below shows Shambo with his friends before he was isolated in the Temple.

Clockwise from left- Prana, Shambo, Pinga, Ulf and Titu

Click here to read a discourse given By Swami Suryananda on the 6th May 2007

10th June

 Part of the Temple discourse given today, click here to read the full text.

"To obey the will of God is one the most difficult things for people to do in the pressure of today’s society but that is why we are doing what we are with Shambo. We have no choice. We can never allow any life entrusted to our care to be killed. He is a member of our family. There is a very simple solution here and that solution is for Jane Davidson, who is the minister in charge of making this decision to realise that Skanda Vale is a place of worship, it is a temple and that Shambo’s life is sacred here. We are not a commercial farm. We never kill any animal. No animal leaves here. He was born here, he will die here naturally. If an animal is sick, we never put that animal down. We work with our vets and we are committed to spending as much money and as much time to care for life. We know what caring for life means. We have cattle here over twenty years old. We have cows that have not been able to stand up for over a year. We know how to care for them, to turn them over, to treat them like you would a person who is terminally ill. We run a hospice eight miles from here looking after people who are terminally ill. Our job is serving God in life and the people in government need to realise that that is a world of difference from a commercial farm whose job is to kill to make money. It’s quite a clear difference. There are many advance tests and diagnostics available for bovine TB, as there are for TB in human beings. Tuberculosis is treatable in animals, it can be treated in elephants, it can be treated in cows, it can be treated in gorillas, it can be treated in any animal. If you can treat it in a human being you can treat it in an animal. There just has to be the will to do this.

26th June

30th June

Some of you, who have written to Jane Davidson, will have had a reply with a link to

 “Shambo Frequently asked Questions” on the Welsh government Website.

We would like to respond to the Assembly’s FAQ’s on Shambo:

1) Why is the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) of the view that Shambo should be killed?

Further to detailed representations via our solicitors Jane Davidson and her advisors have not made their final decision on Friday 29^th as advised last Monday. Perhaps the realisation that their action to impose slaughter on Shambo is unlawful under ECHR (European Court of Human Rights) legislation has finally come.

 We are very conscious of the pain this issue is causing in the derrières of Government officials, but ministers are elected and paid to understand circumstances which do not fit into the present legislative framework and exercise discretion accordingly.

2) Does Shambo have TB?

 The TB skin test is widely acknowledged by experts to be badly flawed. We have asked WAG for the statistics to back up their claim of 99.9% accuracy and have not received it. The reality is this test relies on an operator measuring the difference in thickness of two folds of skin at 72 hour intervals, measured with a pair of callipers. It assumes that the operator pinches the same amount of skin on each measurement and in the same location and that the operator can take accurate readings even when the animal is stressed and moving about, or if the head is moving from side to side and thus altering the tension of the skin in the neck area. Additionally false positives can occur as a result of cross reaction to other micro bacteria including avian tb and johns disease, allergic skin reaction can also occur. the relevant supporting evidence can be found on DEFRA’s website dealing with bTB in your herd. The skin test is cheap and for decades was the only test available.

Slaughter is not necessary to prove the presence of bTB. The same culture tests can be carried out on an animal without slaughter to establish the presence of M Bovis. PCR is an accurate rapid diagnostic tool that can also be used to inform whether an animal is shedding bacteria. It would not be economical to do so in the context of a commercial farm, but we have offered to pay for all these tests.

3) Is Shambo the only animal in Skanda Vale that might have TB?

The three inconclusive reactors identified following retesting of the Skanda Vale herd included one buffalo calf, one highland cow and one jersey bullock. These animals have never been housed or herded with each other or with Shambo. If TB was confirmed in these animals it clearly was not as a result of cross infection between cattle but from infection due to TB endemic in wildlife. In common with the experience of many farms, our entire herd could be killed without resulting in any reduced risk of TB infection. Killing Shambo will not eliminate the risk.   

4) Why won’t you use the new TB gamma-interferon test to check the results of the skin test on Shambo?

 If WAG is so confident in its skin test why doesn’t it authorise a gamma-interferon test just to give confidence to the rest of us. We’ll pay for it if that’s an issue.

5) If Shambo isn’t showing clinical signs of having TB, how can he be a risk of passing the disease to other animals or people?

That is why we are requesting permission to give Shambo antibiotic therapy as a precaution to ensure that he does not become infectious.

6) Can’t you use a test to show whether Shambo is shedding TB bacteria or not?

The development of TB infection in cattle progresses slowly. A fortnightly test would give a very good indication of potential infectivity. Risk of transmission to humans is largely through drinking unpasteurised milk. Obviously not a problem for Shambo (don’t try to milk a bull).

7) Why can’t Shambo be kept alive in isolation as Skanda Vale want?

Let’s put this in perspective. Since 1990 there has been one confirmed case of Mbovis to human zoonosis, the other 34 cases relate to a latent Mtb infection from drinking unpastuerised milk during youth and a reoccurrence or the infection resulting from reduced immune response in later life. The occurrence of Mtb in cattle however has been steadily increasing over the last fifteen years. According to accepted NHS guidelines for human TB infection a patient may be isolated in a separate hospital room for up to two weeks whilst given anti TB drugs, after which the patient usually returns to the ward. During treatment hospital staff are not required to wear face masks or gowns. The majority of humans are infected with TB in a latent form which can manifest when the immune system is lowered. To suggest that Shambo needs a category 3 isolation facility such as might be appropriate for ebola or anthrax infection is absurd.

8) Why can’t you allow the Community to use antibiotics to treat Shambo?

There are no recognised treatments for Mbovis infection because there has never been a commercial incentive to develop them. In these situations the normal (and lawful) veterinary practice is to use what is called the “cascade” system of treatment whereby a drug licensed for human or veterinary use can be used for an animal outside its licence terms when a licensed product is not available. Dosages are adjusted according to the animal’s size. Our veterinary consultant has successfully used this method on many different species in various countries to treat bTB. If one applies WAG’s reasoning here every human being who has been successfully treated for TB should remain in isolation for the rest of their lives.

9) Has the Welsh Assembly Government met the Community to discuss Shambo?

Yes we had a meeting. Nice day out in sunny Cardiff, lots of hot air.

10) Has the final decision been taken?

Further representations on their way. Exciting isn’t it!

Congratulations to the Welsh Assembly to finally call Shambo by his name and not just a

“TB reactor”.

We have received tremendous support from all the major Hindu representative organisations across the UK, as well as over 18,000 signatories on our petition. The most recent support has come from the Hindu Cultural Association of Wales (whose membership consists of many members of the medical profession). All these organisations have made strong representations to the minister.

Do not desecrate our religion, the sanctity of life and our place of worship.

1st July

Please read this discourse given today by Swami Suryananda during the Full Moon Mahabishekam to Lord Subramanium.

10th July

Our legal team will be contesting the Welsh Assembly Government's decision to proceed with slaughter in judicial review scheduled in Cardiff High Court on Thursday 12th July at 10.00 am. We look forward to a positive result for Shambo. May Dharma prevail.

Click here to listen to BBC thought for the day by Akhandadhi Das

or to read a transcript click here

12th July

In the Cardiff High Court today, a judicial review was heard which will decide the future of Shambo. The Judge was fair to both parties, allowing each to express their case fully. Having heard all the evidence the Judge will take the weekend to consider and will announce his verdict on Monday at 11.00 am. In his summing up the Judge commented that Skanda Vale had a strong case for saving the life of Shambo but he also recognised the strength of the Welsh Assembly Government’s position. We trust that the Judge will reflect deeply on the sanctity of life.

16th July

We are delighted that the Judgment today has been in our favour.

We wish to thank everybody who has supported our campaign to save Shambo.  The Welsh Assembly Government have been given leave to appeal but will have to cover all our costs. Instead of wasting taxpayers money on a appeal we again ask the Government to enter into constructive dialogue with us. 

18th July

The Welsh Assembly Government has appealed against the Judgment of the 16th July to quash the slaughter notice for Shambo. The appeal will be held in Cardiff on Friday 20th July.

Click here to link to the full Judgment published on the BBC website

Click here to read what Rachel Joyce, Conservative spokeswoman for Harrow west wrote to Jane Davidson

20th July

The appeal was held in Cardiff today. The appeal Judges will announce their verdict in the afternoon of  Monday 23rd July . Two days ago the Welsh Assembly Government appointed Elin Jones as the new Rural Affairs Minister .

23rd July

We urge you to Email the new minister to voice your concern

elin.jones@wales.gov.uk

The Council of Swamis