PRIESTS and devotees at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple in Hertfordshire offered prayers on Sunday (January 18) to celebrate the arrival of a new cow, courtesy of the RSPCA. The cow, called Aditi, was a gift from the Royal Society of Prevention to Cruelty of Animals, a year after it put down another cow, Gangotri, suffering from bovine tuberculosis.
The pregnant Aditi, which means ‘the free one’ and ‘archaic mother’, is seen by the Hindu community as a symbol of ‘reconciliation’. It is due to give birth in a month’s time.
Gangotri, a 13-year-old Belgian Blue-Jersey cross, was put down on December 13, 2007, in what the RSPCA called a mercy killing. But priests at the temple in north London claimed it was illegally slaughtered while they were at worship.
Liberal Democrats peer Lord navnit Dholakia helped mediate the reconciliation between the animal charity and the temple authorities.
Kapil Dudakia, the chair of the Gangotri Task Force said, “We trust that the level of awareness has increased and the RSPCA and the Hindu community can work together learning from this unfortunate episode. This is a tremendous day and it is my hope that we do not witness such difficulties again.”
