ALDENHAM A sacred cow with a muscle-wasting disease that was being treated by its keepers with reiki, acupuncture and massage was put down by officials from the RSPCA.

The death of Gangotri, a Belgian Blue-Jersey cross, at the Hare Krishna Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire has caused outrage among worshippers, who say that they were deceived. “This is shocking and duplicitous behaviour. We have been deceived by those who had given us their word,” Gauri Das, president of the temple, said.

Mr Das said that the RSPCA and police had given assurances that they would not take drastic action and that the temple would be allowed to form a legal case, but that they returned to kill the cow when many of the monks were praying. Three monks were physically removed from the barn in which Gangotri was being kept, he added.

The RSPCA said that the 13-year-old animal was in constant pain, with painful and infected sores and breathing difficulties. “We have done everything we can to take account of religious sensitivities and it is sad that we have had to take this action, but the most important thing has been to stop this poor animal from suffering,” it said.