Broadcasted live by MooTube, a webcam, the British police took away Shambo, a six year old bull, who had tested positive for TB. Shambo has been in the British news the last months, because he is part of a Hindu community in Wales and the Welsh government had ordered his death. The Hindu temple, Skanda Vale, went to court to prevent Shambo’s death, but this was ultimately to no avail. Yesterday the police came showing their warrant and they took Shambo away. Many Hindus across the world had petitioned against it. However, this worldwide Hindu community is often portrayed as one block, but within Hinduism many opinions and beliefs are expounded.
In the Vedas, the main Hindu scriptures, we find life itself being glorified, and cows are stressed throughout all the holy texts:

“Bhishma said: One should never feel any repugnance for the urine and the dung of the cow. One should never show any disregard for cows in any way. If evil dreams are seen, men should take the names of cows. One should never obstruct cows in any way. Cows are the mothers of both the Past and the Future. Every morning, people should bow with reverence unto cows. Cows are sacred. They are the foremost of all things in the world. They are verily the refuge of the universe. They are the mothers of the very deities. They are verily incomparable. Cows are the mothers of the universe.* There is no gift more sacred than the gift of cows. There is no gift that produces more blessed merit. [From the Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva, Sections LXXXIII - LXXVII - LXXVI]“

And I don’t think any Hindu would discuss the holiness of life or cows.
The problem, however, is that we live in a society that eats cows and does not believe in these issues. Animals are less than humans. Economic wellbeing is more important than life. In the case of Shambo, the mere potential of TB was enough to sentence him to death. Once marked, further tests were not allowed. Even when some vets proposed so. When our cows are getting these diseases, we should wonder how it is possible that they get them. Is there something wrong with the way we treat them? I also saw these questions largely unanswered in the debate: how curable is TB and how dangerous is it for other animals and humans? (Please correct me if I’m wrong.) At all time we should do the best we can for an animal, but when our local government rules its findings, we will have to abide.
Moreover, I feel that the issue could have been dealt with in a more balanced way than was done by Skanda Vale. Enlarging the issue to the desecration of a whole religion went too far. I wish that the debate would have been less focused on just Shambo and his religious function and rather on the daily killing of cows, their food and medicines/injections just for production sake.
The voices in Britain from different Hindus also acknowledged this. They did not all share the same views. The Skanda Vale Hindus follow a Hindu philosophy were all are one, all are God and in that light their defense of Shambo made much sense. However, many Hindus do not believe in black and white. Thus, the idea that the killing of Shambo desecrates the whole Hindu religion is, in my opinion, overstated.
As I said earlier, the killing of Shambo should make us turn inward and ask questions. We should wonder about the implications of modern society on ourselves and animal life. So that we may increase our appreciation of cows and understand why India calls her mother, an unconditional giver:

A recent University of Wisconsin study shows each cow generates $13,737 of economic activity. A 1993 Minnesota study estimated the impact of one cow to be $11,671. This money ripples through the community in the form of jobs, goods, and services created by a cow. Each cow paid $604 in state and local taxes in the Minnesota study and $512 in the Wisconsin study.

She brought us from hunters and gatherers to civilization and they, the bulls, cultured the land on which we now live. So yes Skanda Vale, more respect for cows would indeed be appreciated and let this turn the negative implications of Shambo’s killing into something positive. What mankind did in the past is in essence less important than where she is heading.