Animal rights groups protest ahead of mass sacrifice

Animal activists are calling for the cancellation of what they describe as the world’s largest sacrifice at Gadhimai festival in Nepal later this month, where an estimated half a million creatures will be sacrificed to Hindu gods.

The tiny village of Bariyapur near the Indian border will see the slaughter of thousands of buffaloes, pigs, roosters, goats, rats and pigeons over two days as part of the worship of Gadhimai, the goddess of power. Afterwards, festival-goers gather the carcasses and feast on the meat.

But the 300-year tradition has attracted criticism from campaigners in Nepal and India, who are petitioning the government and publicly calling for its ban. “No scripture says that animals have to be sacrificed to appease the gods,” says Pramada Shah, one of the founders of Animal Nepal, a local campaign group. “If Nepal allows such mass sacrifices in the 21st century, the world might think that we are still a barbaric nation.”

The government has allocated 4.5 million rupees ($60,000) to the event, which attracted 800,000 visitors in 2004. Ritualistic sacrifices are common in the Himalayan nation, where goats are regularly sacrificed outside temples in order to bring prosperity and good fortune.

Protestors have garnered support from French actress Brigitte Bardot as well as Ram Bahadur Bomjam, a 17-year old dubbed “Buddha Boy” due to the long periods he spends meditating in the jungles. Bomjam will be travelling to the village to bless the animals beforehand as part of his protest.

Emerging into the public eye for the first time in months to break his silence, Bomjam spoke out in October. “Human beings have turned brutal by offering animal sacrifices to the goddess. This practice must be stopped now”.

But there are few signs the event, which has a wide base of support, will be discontinued. “We are not forcing devotees to sacrifice animals. It is an age-old practice and it must continue,” says the temple’s head priest, Mangal Chaudhary Tharu, who says he expects a large turn-out this year.

“The festival will lose its charm and become meaningless if we break with tradition”.