Blog of Hamlesh

RSPCA murder protected Hindu cow without allowing Hindu’s to perform last rights and prayers!

It is a widely known fact that within the Hindu faith, the cow is a revered and sacred animal.  I say widely known, but apparently the Secretary of State, and the RSPCA are unaware of this.

I have written what follows with great care to maintain the facts, and to put my personal feelings aside.

Bhativedanta Manor, the Hare Krishna temple in Watford is home to many Cows under the ISKCON Cow Protection Programme.  The temple has a number of working cows and bulls, who are well looked after, work the land, and provide milk used in the day to day worship and food preparations.

A year and a half ago, one of the cows was injured when a bull jumped on her back, vets and animal welfare professionals were called, and their professional advise followed.  The prognosis was that the cow would pass away naturally in a few days due to the nature of her injuries.  However she has been making a slow and steady recovery for the last year and a half, well cared for by the temple monks, and visited regularly by a number of vets and animal welfare professionals.

Last week a vet from the State Veterinary Service came to conduct a test (presumably for foot and mouth) on a number of cows at the temple and assed the injured cow’s position.  The vet was informed on the Hindu faiths position on cow care, and the progress in recovery she has made over the last year.  He indicated on his departure that nothing further would probably come of his visit, given the manner in which the temple has continued to care for and nurse the cow back to health.

On the 12th of December the temple was visited by senior members of the RSPCA, escorted by the police, they were served a warrant, stating that the cow would have to be euthanised in due course (not immediately).  During the visit the temple monks were given the impression that they would have the opportunity of taking legal action to stop the murder of the cow, or at the very least have their say.

This morning the RSPCA and police visited the temple barn with a warrant, without due notice the cow was murdered.  The senior RSPCA officers had delayed and distracted the monk caring for the cow, to allow his colleague to murder the cow.

My thoughts

I struggled while writing the “article” above, and it is constructed so that the average member of the public can read it and understand what follows.

I am, what most would understand as a Hare Krishna, a member of the Hindu faith.  Frankly, and simply put, I am angry, very very angry, and as this disseminates throughout the Hindu community, everyone else will be getting angry too.  It is one thing to put down an animal that is infected, and proves a threat to other animals and the human populous at large.  But to sneak around and murder a cow who’s condition and health had been steadily improving, who had been well cared for, regularly visited and assessed by independent (not of the Hindu faith) vets, this, this despicable action will not stand.

Our faith and beliefs have been completely disregarded by the authorities, had they followed the correct legal channels, and given us the chance of representation, this would have been a different matter entirely.  The temple devotees were not even given the right (given by law in this country!) to perform “the last rights”, or any other prayers for the soul of one of Krishna’s sacred cows.

Given my affiliations, I am refraining from voicing much of what I really feel, but this will not stand!