Over 750 animals rescued from mass sacrifice, but 4,200 buffaloes slaughtered at religious festival in Nepal | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: The mass animal sacrifice at the Gadhimai festival in Nepal kept India’s border guarding force, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), and local administration across several districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh on their toes. This resulted in saving more than 750 animals, including buffaloes and goats, from being slaughtered early this week. The festival, nevertheless, witnessed the slaughter of 4,200 buffaloes at the Gadhimai temple on December 8-9.
Nearly 400 of the rescued animals, including 74 buffaloes saved before they headed for the mass sacrifice, have found homes for future care at Vantara, a wildlife and rehabilitation centre of the Reliance group in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
This first-of-its-kind rescue operation was possible with the intervention of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) and animal welfare groups such as People for Animals (PFA) and Humane Society International/India (HSI/India). Their volunteers worked on the ground with district administration and stopped the illegal transportation of hundreds of buffaloes, goats, pigeons, and chickens to Nepal ahead of the mass sacrifice that took place over two days on December 8-9.
Held every five years in Bariyarpur village in the Bara district of Nepal, the festival is estimated to see the sacrifice of as many as 5 lakh animals at the Gadhimai temple. Though these animals are mostly procured locally, a substantial number comes from Bihar and UP despite the Supreme Court of India directing the govt in 2014 to stop the illegal transportation of animals to Nepal for sacrifice at the Gadhimai temple.
When asked about the number of animals sacrificed this year, Arkaprava Bahar of HSI/India, who led the rescue efforts at the border, said, “It is challenging to determine the exact number, as only buffalo sacrifices are officially tracked. However, it is estimated that 2.5 to 5 lakh animals were sacrificed during that period, including 4,200 buffaloes, based on the temple committee’s receipts.”
At Vantara, the rescued animals will receive veterinary care, including necessary medical treatment to help them recover from the hardships they endured. “We are filled with joy knowing they have been saved from the horrors of the Gadhimai sacrifice and will now live and flourish in a safe, loving environment (at Vantara). Their successful relocation will ensure the best possible long-term care and well-being for these animals,” said Gauri Maulekhi, trustee at PFA.
The AWBI wrote in October to police chiefs of both Bihar and UP, asking them to prevent the illegal transportation of animals ahead of the festival. The Board member, Girish J Shah, also coordinated the campaign with the district administration to rescue the animals.
The Gadhimai festival, whose origins date back around 265 years, involves a month-long celebration culminating in the ritual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals. Though the Supreme Court of Nepal ordered in 2019 an end to animal sacrifices at Gadhimai and urged authorities to create a plan to phase out this practice, the neighbouring country has, so far, not been successful in controlling it.
When asked about the reason, Bahar said, “As per Nepal’s Supreme Court, the practice of animal sacrifice is inappropriate from religious, social, cultural, environmental, moral, and logical perspectives, and efforts should be made to phase it out. However, the court also conveyed that reforms must respect social and cultural contexts to avoid disrupting societal structures. A direct ban without addressing these factors would be premature.
“To achieve a gradual cessation of animal sacrifice, a few directives have been issued to relevant ministries and authorities in Nepal to develop and implement a phased plan to ban animal sacrifice, considering social, cultural, and religious sensitivities.”
He said the temple committee, along with the local administration, however, uses these social and cultural contexts as protection to continue the sacrifice.