‘Sacred' Bull Can Be Slaughtered, Court Rules

LONDON — The decision to slaughter a bull revered as sacred by his Hindu caretakers is justified, a British court ruled yesterday, overturning a decision by a lower court last week.

The ruling could spell the end for Shambo, a 6-year-old Friesian bull, whose life has been in jeopardy since he tested positive for bovine tuberculosis in April.

Local regulations stipulate that cattle suspected of carrying the disease be slaughtered, but Shambo's caretakers at the Skanda Vale monastery in southwestern Wales have mounted a campaign to save the beast. Hindus consider cattle sacred, and lawyers for the monastery argued that slaughtering the bull would interfere with their religious rights.

The monastery also took its case to the public, creating an Internet petition, a Web log containing Shambo's "daily thoughts," and even a Web cast called "Moo Tube" that tracks the bull's movements around its hay-filled shrine.