Goddess leads devotees in vegetarian sacrifice

Kathmandu, October 7, 2010 – Today the goddess Kali demonstrated a group of fifty devotees how to sacrifice in a Symbolic Puja at Dakchhinkali Temple. “I do not need animal blood. I am happy with fruits and vegetables so please offer me vegetarian sacrifices,” the blue-tongued goddess said before slashing a pumpkin into half.

The devotees followed the fierce looking goddess Kali (played by actor Durga from Shilpee Theater) in sacrificing kubindos and coconuts, in a ritual that according to the campaigners has a firm basis in the country’s ancient traditions.

The puja was organized by AWNN as part of a novel campaign against animal sacrifices that take place during Dasain festival.

Earlier this year AWNN launched a 5-year campaign against animal sacrifice and cruel sports. The homegrown movement was born during Gadhimai festival which saw the killing of some 200,000 animals in the span of 24 hours in November 2009. The campaign is supported by a growing number of spiritual and society leaders, including the well known comedian duo MAHA.

The network is requesting the President, Prime Minister, army and police to cancel state funded animal sacrifices during Dasain. “Nepal is the world’s key implementers of animal sacrifice, a practice that promotes superstition and violence, drains the poor and prevents Nepal from becoming a truly advanced country. Decapitating a bleating buffalo or goat should not be the symbol of the Nepali civilization,” AWNN urges.

AWNN also argues that a vegetarian diet improves people’s health and helps to save the planet. It is believed that 90% of random meat samples in Kathmandu are contaminated with bacteria such as salmonella. As a result, the majority of typhoid cases in city dwellers are caused by infected meat.

Fact finding mission: organisers not ready to compromise

Despite mounting pressure from Nepalese and international campaigners, organizers of Gadhimai Jatra are all set to kill half a million animals in just two days. The government till now has failed to introduce any measures to address the health risks and grave animal suffering involved. These are the findings of a fact finding mission that returned last night to the capital.

The Animal Welfare Network Nepal (AWNN) and Anti-Animal Sacrifice Alliance send a fact finding mission to Bara district earlier this week. ‘The festival organisers have no intention to compromise. Instead the sacrifice is promoted as a competition aiming at killing the highest number of animals in the span of only two days. Poor people are pressurized to invest their much needed resources. The only people who truly benefit are the organizers and business community,’ says Pramada Shah, President of AWNN.

According to the mission the organizers expect to earn 40 crore rupees (US$ 530.000) from tenders and fees. Bara VDCs are pressurized to provide one thousand animals each for the mass sacrifice. One thousand men have been given a license to kill animals; they receive a fee for each animal killed. In the meantime the price of animals in Bara and Parsa district increases steadily; families pay up to two months of salary to buy a goat. ‘The devotees are deeply superstitious and their sentiments are exploited by local religious and business leaders,’ says Shah.

The government has not taken any visible action to address the health risks and animal suffering, say the mission members. ‘In fact during the two days we were in Bara and Parsa all quarantine offices were closed,’ says Shah. The government has provided 5,2 lakh (US$ 70,000) to the organizers to build an enclosure for the 20.000 buffaloes that are scheduled to be killed. ‘We are greatly concerned about the killing of buffaloes. Until now these gentle animals were killed randomly by young men carrying khukuri knives who hack the animals to death. It is a barbaric custom of which even local residents disprove. It is most important that the government sets rules to ensure that the animals are killed as humanely as possible,’ says Shah.

Who are we?

The Stop The World's Largest Animal Killing Fields campaign is coordinated by Animal Welfare Network Nepal (http://www.awnnepal.blogspot.com/) and the Anti-Animal Sacrife Alliance.

Contact details:

AWNN
c/o Animal Nepal
@ Saathi
PO Boc 7770
Ekantakuna, Patan
Mobile ++ 977 9841-334537

Anti-Animal Sacrifice Alliance
c/o Sarvokrishta Jeevan Shashwot
Mandeva Marg 271
Mali Gaun
Kathmandu
Tel. ++ 977 9721-458848