Ritual Animal Sacrifice

Animal-rights activists are protesting the ritual sacrifice of more than 315,000 animals that are to be slaughtered today in a Nepalese village. Hindu priests estimate more than 15,000 buffalo and 300,000 birds, goats, and sheep will be slain at the religious festival, thought to be the largest ritual slaughter in the world. The festival is held every five years, and Hindu followers travel from across India and Nepal to attend. This year, outspoken animal-rights campaigners Maneka Gandhi and Brigitte Bardot have petitioned Nepal’s president to end the practice and criminalize ritual killing. While this year’s sacrifice shows no signs of being halted, animal-rights groups in Nepal are fighting to outlaw the ritual before the next festival.