Gadhimai

[Catherine]

The festival is going on and I do not know yet how bad it is. As I find reports I will post them.
http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/515388/5-la...tival.html

Lakh is a unit that equals 100,000.

It is bad.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/11/2...USRTR4FYGF
It is the usual butchers and their cruelty.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...91849.html
It seems that the numbers of animals are down.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/no...imai-hindu

This article mentions that many animals were saved because the protesters talked people out of killing them.
http://www.news.com.au/world/two-days-of...7138655154

The whole world knows about this now and there is a strong feeling against it. If the numbers are down even a bit, it is a step in the right direction. Now is the time to pressure Nepal to never let the killing happen again.

[LPC]

I slept badly last night. I woke up in the middle of the night and could sense the suffering and fear. It took me a very long time to get back to sleep.

This barbaric and cruel festival must be stopped next time around. Protests need to be even bigger and louder (and earlier) next time around.

It is all the more shocking that children are taken to witness this mass slaughter. This desensitizes them to violence and cruelty at a young age. The participants do not seem able to use any empathy in order to imagine the fear of the animals as they see others being slaughtered in front of their eyes.

[Catherine]

I know how you feel. It is hard to know about the slaughter and not be able to stop it. I think all the efforts against it cut down the numbers. Also the slaughter is now public. It was part of our Canadian National News broadcast. People know now we have to work on them to make them care. The way to stop the next slaughter is to start now and keep pushing. I think it will happen.

I notice a difference in the tone of the news.

Quote:From The Times of Israel:
The spectacle leaves pools of blood across the temple grounds, the air thick with the stench of raw meat.

Authorities eventually dump buffaloes’ heads into a large, freshly dug pit. The goat and chicken meat is distributed to devotees and villagers, while contractors bid to buy the buffalo and animal hides.

“Even after the bodies are taken away, the smell remains, forcing us to cover our mouth and nose… it is definitely a threat to our health,” said Utim Lal Chaurasiya, who lives near the village.

“The devotees come from outside, celebrate and leave. It is local people who suffer the aftermath,” said the social worker, 36.

This quote does not paint a picture of a wonderful festival. The images are ugly and the consequences are negative.

I have to run to work right now, but I will do more research later and see what the world is saying. One observation it the fact that I am picking up news feeds from all around the globe.

[Tobi]

All day as I walked and did jobs, I was asking that these poor animals will find peace and love on the other side, and will be drawn away from the atmosphere of suffering and horror they must have gone through. I hope there are Beings there who will help them when they cross over. I tried to send them my love and a sense of peace, to help if possible.

[Catherine]

I guess the bloodshed has stopped for now. Just knowing about it was horrible.

Let us hope for peace for all involved in trying to stop the slaughter. They did so much. Let them be satisfied with that. No one could have stopped it completely. They had an impact and I think it will be even greater next time.

The time of animal sacrifice is over. In the 21st century, we as humans are way past such primitive behavior. Now we have to bring everyone to that point in their thinking. Failing that, we have to convince the government to make it illegal.

Notice the headline!
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/...92632.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/5000-buffaloe...638-2.html

Clearly public opinion is against the killing.

[Catherine]

The latest news I am getting says the numbers were way down. In 2009 they killed 300,000 animals. They were sure it would be 500,000 this time. The numbers were more like 200,000. It is an appalling number. I can't take in the vastness of the carnage. I can take hope from the fact that protesting had so much impact.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world...340021.cms
I don't know if the whole slaughter can be stopped next time, but now that it is so public, the public will have a say in the matter.

I think I express the feelings of all animal lovers when I say, "Never again"!

[LPC]

(12-02-2014, 05:10 PM)Catherine Wrote: I think I express the feelings of all animal lovers when I say, "Never again"!

I'm sure that you do express them!

[Catherine]

Let us hope they come true.

[Tobi]

That is the beauty of the internet. The whole world can see what is going on in a small area which might have been totally cut off with little communication previously.
We in the West may be accused of not understanding cultural or religious differences, and interfering in traditions which have held for hundreds of years....but all I can say to that is it is time we all woke up as a "Human Race" and said no to anything which involves animal cruelty and suffering. People all over the world know that animals should not be suffering in such a hellish way.

I live in hope that one day people who do such things, and live under such dark perceptions, will rise up out of them, and a light will shine in their hearts.

[Catherine]

You can respect cultural practices and honour religious traditions without cruel and barbaric practices.

In 1976, as part of a Religious Studies Course, we visited a big Synagogue in Calgary. The Rabbi was great. He was willing to answer any questions for as long as we wanted. So I asked, if the Jewish people regained the land and could rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem, would they go back to animal sacrifices. His reply was very clear, "This is the Twentieth Century". He then very graciously explained that as a people they had outgrown that type of behavior. They had not lost their roots or traditions, but there was no place in modern Judaism for certain practices that were part of their religion 2000 years ago.

These religious festivals can go ahead and culture can be respected, without cruelty and violence.