Heading - New Scientist Short Sharp Science Blog  A science news
blog from  Heading - NewScientist Blogs  Tuesday, July 17, 2007
TB-infected holy cow spared the chop  The long-running saga of
the TB epidemic in UK cattle took a new turn on Monday, when a
judge decided that a bullock infected with the disease should
not be put down, because his owners regard him as sacred.
Putting him down would infringe their right to freedom of
religion, the judge decided.  The bullock, known as Shambo, is
the property of the Skanda Vale multi-faith community in west
Wales. In Hinduism, which is a major part of the community's
beliefs, cows are sacred and must not be killed. A statement on
the website sums up the community's position: "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."  That is not how the farming industry, or the
government, sees it. They point to the epidemic of TB in cattle,
and the government policy