New Varshana, the Hare Krishna farm in Riverhead, Auckland, was visited by Karyn Lowndes, an officer from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The visit was to investigate a report of animal ill treatment, and was filmed as part of a television programme called Animal House.

New Varshana, the Hare Krishna farm in Riverhead, Auckland, was visited by Karyn Lowndes, an officer from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). The visit was to investigate a report of animal ill treatment, and was filmed as part of a television programme called Animal House.

The unexpected enquiry proved to be a perfect opportunity for Farm Manager, Ananta Krishna, to inform and educate viewers about the care and protection of cows. She explained about Gauri, the arthritic cow in question, and the care she was receiving from a veterinary surgeon. She explained that it was part of the Hare Krishna philosophy that “we do not have the right to take a life" and that no one likes to see animals or parents suffer, but the rules of the land are “that we cannot put our parents down …… and we feel the same about our cows".

The officer was relieved and impressed by the health and size of the cows and commented “I am rapt to be here ….. we are very happy". Another comment on the show was, “you couldn’t hope for a better place to be a cow‿.

The TV One channel on Wednesday, March 23 showed the programme at 8 p.m. during prime time.

Turning a negative situation into a positive one for the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the eloquent and genuine response by Ananta Krishna, allayed any fears of cruelty to cows, and promoted cow protection using the powerful medium of television.

The Couch: Edition 8, March/April 2005