Stop Animal Sacrifice In Gadhimai Festival!

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https://animalequality.org/action/gadhimai-2019

Less than five years ago, animal charities heralded the end of animal sacrifice at a religious festival dubbed "the world's bloodiest".

But on Tuesday, the Gadhimai festival began with the killing of a goat, rat, chicken, pig and pigeon.

According to animal activists who travelled to a remote corner of Nepal for the festival, it was followed by the deaths of thousands of buffalo.

Some 200,000 animals were killed during the last festival, in 2014.

Warning: Some people may find pictures in this article upsetting

The tradition dates back to a priest who was told about 250 years ago in a dream that spilled blood would encourage Gadhimai, the Hindu goddess of power, to free him from prison.

For the hundreds of thousands of devotees who travel to the temple from India and Nepal, it is an opportunity to have their wishes fulfilled.

"I had four sisters. Eight years ago, I made a wish for a brother and the goddess blessed us with him," Priyanka Yadav, of Janakpur, explained to BBC Nepali.

However, animal rights activists have long argued it was cruel.

Then, in 2015, the Humane Society International (HSI) and Animal Welfare Network Nepal (AWNN) announced "victory" , saying animal sacrifices had been banned.