Would It Be So Hard?

The Welsh government seems determined to kill an infected bull that is sacred to a Hindu temple there. The bull tested positive for tuberculosis, and the standard procedure there is to slaughter TB-infected animals to “protect both human and animal health”.

“An animal kept by the Community of the Many Names of God has tested positive,
and the case is being dealt with in the usual way. Every effort will be made to
deal with this case as sensitively as possible.”

I happen to know that TB can be cured with antibiotics, and I also know that I would be pretty pissed off if the government told me they were going to kill one of my dogs or horses because it had contracted a treatable disease.

Would it kill the Welsh government to let the Hindu temple pay for this animal’s treatment by a veterinarian? They seem determined to create animosity in the local community for no good reason. I know you don’t want to overuse antibiotics because of the risk of antibiotic-resistant strains evolving, but treating an isolated sick animal hardly seems to be a huge resistance-development risk.