Over 4000 people from across the world signed a petition against the world's largest animal sacrifice at Gadhimai. Many expressed shock and outrage and vowed not to visit Nepal until the mass killings are stopped.
On Friday November 20 Pramada Shah, President of AWNN, handed over the petition and signatures to Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Sharad Singh Bhandari. Shah expressed her concern over the detrimental impact of the Gadhimai on tourism. 'Over the coming days Nepal will be portrayed as a backward, barbaric country, and much of the PR and goodwill created in the international community will go down the drain,' she said.
Minister Bhandari said he is very concerned about the issue but feels the government cannot call for a ban due to sensitive religious sentiments. He promised to instruct the new local tourism development committee in Bara district to bring awareness about the negative impact of animal sacrifice on tourism.
The Minister shared that his family no longer practices animal sacrifice, and instead offers eggs and fruits. He agreed to share him personal case study with the public at large to promote non-violent bali.
