Officials escorted by 20 police officers finally managed to remove a sacred bull with suspected TB from a Welsh Hindu monastery tonight after a day-long stand-off with demonstrators.

Several monks and some of the 100 protesters at the Skanda Vale temple in Llanpumsiant, Carmarthenshire, had to be dragged away by police before veterinary inspector Wyn Buick finally managed to remove Shambo, who is expected to be slaughtered later tonight.

The conclusion of the operation ended an extraordinary day of protest which started at 8am when Mr Buick was refused entry, with monks demanding that he return with a court warrant.

He obtained the warrant and went back to the temple this afternoon but worshippers continued to refuse him entry and locked themselves in the compound. To further frustrate the efforts of the authorities they stood in front of Shambo's pen, singing Hindu songs and praying.

Eventually, officials returned with a police escort, cut the temple's gates, and - after removing a number of worshippers - took Shambo, a six-year-old fresian, from his pen.

One of the worshippers who was carried away by four policemen as she tried to stop them reaching the bull, , 52-year-old Verena Blum, said: "There is no way that you desecrate a temple in that way."

At 6pm, Shambo's webcam - set up by the monks after the bull was tested positive for bovine TB three months ago - showed a still picture of the bull, with a garland of flowers around his neck. Beneath it was written: "The Welsh Assembly government has finally desecrated our temple and taken Shambo away to be slaughtered."

Shambo's devotees had vowed to overturn the Welsh Assembly's death sentence but on Monday lost their last legal challenge at the Court of Appeal in London. Appeals for mercy to the Welsh Assembly have also fallen on deaf ears.

A Welsh Assembly spokeswoman countered, however, that the demonstration might be upsetting Shambo. "We are monitoring the situation at Skanda Vale very carefully this morning and are very concerned that the bullock may be getting distressed by the noise and activity around him," he said.

"Our concern has always been to minimise distress to the animal throughout this sensitive operation."

Farmers’ unions have insisted that no exception can be made to the slaughter regulations intended to protect other livestock. The animal has failed a test which indicates the possible presence of bovine TB and standard practice is for slaughter to follow before the diagnosis is confirmed with further tests.

The Welsh Assembly Government rejected a final plea from the monks for a second bovine TB test. A proposal to ship Shambo out to a temple in India was also refused.

Anil Bhanot, the General Secretary of the Hindu Council UK, issued a statement condemning the Welsh Assembly for paying no heed to the religious practices of Hinduism, "which by taking animals into temple sanctuaries reminds the people to respect all life, including those at a lower level of consciousness than us".

Mr Bhanot went on: "The Bull has an Atma [soul] and the monks asked for other options to be considered, more time to consider transporting the bull to a temple in India but the Welsh Assembly would not hear of their pleas.

"The way the Welsh Assembly has been single-minded to carry out the cull at the temple without even talking through various options, it is our opinion, that for the first time here the Government has chosen to desecrate an eminent Hindu temple in Wales.

"The Monks, while respecting the Appeal Court’s decision, have assured me that they will pray for the bull’s soul as they will for the Welsh Assembly’s."