Posted on March 24, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Mark Johnson (SAV – this site) and Philip Lymbery (CEO at CIWF – http://www.ciwf.org.uk/about-us/our-staff/philip-lymbery/ ) have known each other and been campaigning (farm animal) friends for some 25+ years. They originally got to know each other regarding their extensive campaigning regarding the live transport of farm animals from the Kent ports of SE England and other parts of the UK to mainland Europe back in the 80’s.
You can read more about Mark’s long term work with CIWF by reading ‘About Us’ – https://serbiananimalsvoice.com/about-us/ – in 2003 Mark was awarded the ‘campaigner of the year’ in recognition of his work into the UK live export trade (calves, sheep, pigs) and also for his investigative work as part of the CIWF Investigations Unit into the export of live horses to Europe for the meat trade.
You can read more from Philip on his current regular CIWF blog page – http://www.philiplymbery.com/
Philip’s recent book ‘Farmageddon’ – which lifts the lid on intensive farming around the world has been made into a film also. You can see this by looking at the following links from either CIWF or directly on Youtube. Links are given below – please take a look as this is worth seeing !!!
Described by Joanna Lumley as ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ for food and farming, a year and several reprints later, Bloomsbury is re-launching Farmageddon in a new-look paperback format. To celebrate, CIWF have pulled together this short film showing some of the key moments of the three-year journey behind the closed doors of the factory farm industry.
‘Farmaggedon’ — The True Cost of Cheap Meat
Also, in the following link, see extensive undercover footage obtained by CIWF investigators who have been involved with Rabbit farming / production in several countries of the EU.
Watch their appalling expose of this disgusting business at:
Exposing the biggest secret of the Cage Age:
Check out all of London based CIWF’s work and campaigns at http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
Its time to lift the entire lid on the abuse of millions of animals every day and the ill health suffering of humans caused by intensive farming.
Its time to decide:
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Posted on March 24, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
There is a White Lotus Wall of Remembrance on the ‘Free Tibet’ site on which people have said their feelings, and given their support to make Tibet free of Chinese domination once again – and it will happen.
You can read all the messages to the Tibetan people by clicking on the following:
The White Lotus Book starts with the following introduction:
“The following words are also written in the White Lotus Book of Remembrance, paying tribute to all those Tibetans who have lost their lives as a result of China’s occupation.
When Tibet is free we will deliver the Book to the people of Tibet in their homeland”.
Self-immolation protests in Tibet
Since March 2011, more than 130 people are known to have set themselves on fire inside Tibet in protest against the repressive Chinese occupation of Tibet.
Self-immolation protests have become less frequent in 2013 and 2014 but these and other protests are taking place over a widening area of Tibet. Some Tibetans have also set themselves alight outside Tibet and China.
Although many monks and nuns have set themselves alight, most self-immolation protesters were not from religious institutions. They include teachers, students and herdsmen, as well as mothers and fathers.
The youngest was just 15 years old
Visit this Q&A to find out more about the self-immolations. More information about all protests in Tibet can be found here.
Details of each confirmed individual self-immolation in Tibet can be found below.
Free Tibet – let Tibetan people be free from Chinese domination and let Tibet be a self governing nation once again !!
Free Tibet
28 Charles Square
London
N1 6HT
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7324 4605
Fax: +44 (0)20 7324 4606
Email: mail@freetibet.org
Office hours: 1000-1800 hrs (UK time), Monday-Friday
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Posted on March 22, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
The following is a letter sent to the French authorities by our good friend Lesley at Eyes on Animals; regarding a French pig transporter which overturned a few weeks ago. We did not know about this in the UK, but it obviously made news in mainland Europe. We feel the need to show you what has been written by Lesley.
You will also see a link to the video of the accident and the suffering animals; which are the subject of Lesley’s letter.
Lesley takes up the issue from here:
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I am sending this out today to the gendarmes and official vets in France, related to the clean-up of the pig truck accident a few weeks ago there.
I have added all the logos.
Let´s keep our fingers crossed for a response.
If I do, I will let you all know.
Bises en bon weekend
Lesley – Director – Eyes on Animals –
Warning – animals suffering in this video:
The original letter in French which Lesley sent to the authorities.
Below is a translation (Google Translate) of what the letter says.
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Dear ……
Your services were responsible for monitoring of an accident involving a pig transport truck rolled on its side at 6:30 am on March 4 in Britain. Shocking video of this accident circulated on social networks throughout Europe. This film is visible on the following link:
We are writing on behalf of animal protection organizations in Europe. We discussed
the pictures with transport companies of animals and we want to express our astonishment and vis-à-vis concern the method used to support the rugged truck and clean up, hoping it would not happen again.
When an accident occurs and which involves a vehicle transporting live animals, driver of the truck and the animals are cared for first. In the case of this accident, the driver was taken to hospital, but animals were still inside the truck injured when a crane was sent there. This raised the truck and handed over its wheels with injured pigs and struggling inside. Video images show pigs suspended the 3rd level of the truck (4 meters high!), with their hind legs trapped inside the compartment and front legs struggling in the void, struggling to reach the soil.
Some pigs were crushed under the weight of other conspecifics stacked above them. These pigs had been extremely traumatized and too long; we can then wonder why their suffering was extended by new injuries and a state of Panic?
The best method would be to unload pigs as soon as the driver had been taken to hospital, saving animals to await the arrival of the crane and still be inside the truck when it was back on its wheels.
We talked with experts who are management of truck accidents transporting live animals. They tell us that in the formations, it is specified that the truck drivers, accident, must be emptied of all its animals. These must then be gathered to protect them from further accidents. Animals injured and suffering should be immediately euthanized. After this step, the truck can then be back on its wheels. In the case of this accident, the truck roof should have been open immediately to allow the release of pigs, its collection and treatment before the crane is used to straighten the vehicle.
Can a particular reason to explain the procedure followed in this accident?
No doubt you are also shocked as we are by this accident, regret them decisions taken and would improve in the future support of this type transportation accident?
We are aware that an accident involving live animals is a complicated event manage and that there is no ideal solutions.
However, expertise and skills that can improve the efficiency of the management Load exist. We would be happy to help you benefit from this experience in you proposing to organize a seminar to establish a synergy between your expertise field and specific external expertise.
Thank you for your understanding and awaiting your reply
Please accept, Madam, the expression of our respectful greetings.
Lesley Moffat
Director – Eyes on Animals
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Posted on March 18, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
The following video is nothing directly to do with the information supplied below by Defenders of Wildlife; but we feel that this is an ideal situation to show people what the reality of the wolf is.
This makes the message from Jamie about what is currently happening all the more disgusting and infuriating for us.
As Jamie says – killing these magnificent animals for the joys of sport hunters and outfitters. We ask; what then hell are these people about ? – taking such magnificent lives for what ? – to attempt to show that they are men in camo trousers !!!
Please watch the following video and learn the real side of wolves; it might not be what the hunters have taught you to believe !! – a wonderful insight into the reality of the caring wolf pack and wonderful people who have devoted their lives to defending them – watch by clicking on the following link:
The message from Jamie at DoW is as follows; please take action yourself to protect these magnificent animals; pert of the real wildlife of the USA.
We ourselves are in England UK; but we will do everything we can to speak out in support of the beautiful wildlife that America should be so proud to have; and should be encouraging, not killing in the name of ‘sports hunting’.
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Dear Mark,
The 19 wolves that were recently shot in Idaho were killed at the request of the state and carried out by federal sharpshooters, flying over national forest land.
The goal: to artificially boost elk numbers for sport hunters and outfitters.
The deeply disturbing actions by the Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services agency working on behalf of the state of Idaho must stop.
Wildlife Services has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from Idaho Governor Butch Otter’s Wolf Depredation Control Board to help carry out the state’s relentless wolf killing program.
Aerial gunning of wildlife for sport is wrong on many levels, which is why it has been banned by statute in the United States for decades. And while government agents may be exempted from the provisions of that law, shooting wolves from the air is terribly offensive and wrong, regardless of who is pulling the trigger.
It is simply shocking for Secretary Vilsack to allow his employees to contract themselves out as sharpshooters to kill wolves from the air, especially on Forest Service lands. It is equally shocking for the Forest Service, which is also under the control of Secretary Vilsack, to stand by and allow their Wildlife Service colleagues to kill wolves on our national forest lands.
Defenders is the only national organization with staff on the ground in Idaho who not only worked to help restore wolves, but who are actively working at the statehouse and state wildlife commission to protect the fragile wolf recovery in the Northern Rockies.
Thanks for standing with us to protect wolves and other imperiled wildlife.
Sincerely,
Jamie Rappaport Clark
President, Defenders of Wildlife
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Posted on March 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
‘EU MUST ENSURE ANIMAL WELFARE‘
– OR PROBABLY NOT WHEN IT RELATES TO NON EU LIVE ANIMAL EXPORTS.
Would you like to have a guess at who said the following:
“I certainly won’t be bullied by 500 text messages that I receive on my
phone during the course of the day on animal welfare issues.
That won’t work with me, forget about it. (…)
I will not give a direct answer in relation to the way animals are exported outside the European Union to other countries because I don’t know at this stage which country’s legislation is under crisis. (…)
The question whether we should have live export of cattle or not,
I am in favour of live cattle export. (…)”
Well, it was an EU Commissioner who has the name of Phil Hogan – and the statement was his answer to Olga Kikou, European Affairs Manager of NGO “Compassion in World Farming” re live exports to Non-EU countries.
Above – Commissioner Hogan
Check out Phil Hogan on the following sites which are available to the public (us):
One has to ask if this un-elected person and the comments made to very well respected CIWF representative have anything to do with him guarding the interests of the Irish cattle “producers” and export industry ?
– recently Ireland established live cattle exports from the country to Libya, for example. One has to question what the slaughter procedures for these same animals were like there ? – certainly NOT to EU standards !
It goes to show that an un-elected Commissioner can appear to overrule the wishes of tens of thousands of EU citizens who want the export of live animals to non EU countries to be stopped immediately.
Please check out our following post to see what typically happens to live animals when they are exported live to non-EU nations. In other words; a trade that Phil Hogan appears to support.
See video footage of the situation here – filmed by the very people that Mr. Hogan is dismissing – London based ‘Compassion In World Farming’ (CIWF). http://www.ciwf.org.uk/
See also the CIWF investigation into EU animals brutally slaughtered in Gaza; a NON EU location. No doubt Mr. Hogan also supports this following on from his statement to CIWF.
Cattle transported live from Romania and Hungary (EU member states) many thousands of miles to be barbarically slaughtered by having their throats cut without any from of pre-stunning. Live animals no longer protected by EU legislation.
** WARNING – Graphic footage in the following video of animal suffering **.
Please note you have the option of viewing a Censored or Un-Censored version of the investigation video.
Thanks to D for getting the ball rolling with this.
How common is all of this which we see with live animals exported from Australia ?
We are sending this post to English Members of the European Parliament. – SAV.
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Posted on March 16, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
Dear Mark,
Did you know the USDA itself estimates as many as 1 million birds are scalded alive at slaughterhouses every year in the United States? It’s downright shameful.
Actress Pamela Anderson is teaming up with Mercy For Animals to expose and end this horror.
Gordon Food Service supplies restaurants like PF Chang’s, Red Robin, Perkins, Culver’s, and The Melting Pot.
The stomach-turning video footage reveals:
Birds recklessly and violently shackled upside down, their fragile wings and legs breaking in the process
Severely sick, injured, and dying chickens sent through the slaughter line along with other birds intended for human consumption
Frightened birds dragged through an electrified vat of water, painfully shocked but left fully conscious
Birds having their throats sliced open while still conscious and able to feel pain
Live, conscious birds scalded to death in feather-removal tanks
Pamela speaks up for the birds – watch the video here:
Even though more than 95 percent of the animals killed for food in this country are chickens, these sensitive and intelligent animals are excluded from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. This means Gordon Food Service chicken suppliers get away with torturing to death millions of animals a year in ways that would be illegal if the victims were cows or pigs.
We cannot allow this to continue!
Pamela Anderson and MFA are calling on Gordon Food Service to adopt meaningful animal welfare guidelines for all of its suppliers to prevent the worst forms of animal abuse in its supply chain, including immediately switching to systems that eliminate the horrific suffering caused by dumping, shackling, shocking, and slaughtering conscious animals.
As the largest private foodservice provider in the country, Gordon Food Service has enormous power and influence to end many of the worst forms of institutionalized animal abuse in the poultry industry.
Please, take a moment to sign Pamela Anderson and MFA’s petition calling on Gordon Food Service to stop torturing chickens.
Then please share the hidden-camera video with friends and encourage them to take action too. And if you haven’t done so already, please consider ending your support of this needless cruelty altogether by adopting a compassionate vegan diet.
Sincerely,
Nathan Runkle
President
P.S. You can make a special tax-deductible donation to support MFA’s hidden heroes who work undercover to expose and stop systemic animal abuse on factory farms.
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Posted on March 12, 2015 by Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)
TAKE ACTION FOR THE ANIMALS SLAUGHTERED
AT GADHIMAI
WARNING – The following posts shows a lot of footage of animal killing, animal distress and animal sacrifice. This is all shown on the many Youtube video links which are provided.
To get an idea of what this ‘festival’ involves –
Recent SAV posts regarding the festival – note these also contain graphic images in many places:
*** The following post shows what a kind of society we are dealing with here – allowing an animal top suffer like this !! –
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PLEASE SEND THE SAMLE LETTER GIVEN BELOW TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING IN THE BLOCK LISTING.
Lets leave the government in no doubt that the world is disgusted by what it has seen in the recent past.
Block E-mail Listings follow – it is suggested that e mails are sent as per the blocks provided.
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear President,
Dear Excellencies,
Dear Ministers,
Dear Ambassadeurs,
Mrs. Mr.
And to whom it may concern :
We, Citizens of Europe and of the world, are writing for expressing our indignation about the barbaric sacrifices in Nepal.
Today, more than ever because of global warming and the degradation of the planet, we must watch over it. This moral problem concerns all inhabitants of the planet!
Nepalis say that the sacrifices of Ghadimai occur every 5 years, Certainly, but simply in the name of a popular and superstitious belief, millions of animals must be fed before their horrific sacrifice. We know that intensive farming is a major cause of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution in general.
We respect Nepal and its traditions but Nepal must respect the planet that belongs to everyone.
Today the planet demands our attention because we ask him more than it can deliver.
We inform you that we will not visit Nepal, as long as these unworthy atrocities will continue! We live in 2015, not in pre-historic era!
Thank you to read the rest of this letter:
Please read this email, have a look at the pictures and video’s.
Can you, as a human being, tell me this is right ?
All this horrible suffering ?
As you may be aware, this year’s Khokana Festival was held on 12th August (the day after Gai Jatra). We wait for confirmation from AWNN about the goat sacrifice – whether it will take place, what action is being taken to prevent it, etc. In the meantime, there are numerous other rituals taking place in Nepal involving gratuitous cruelty to animals which are largely unreported. Here are just a few:-
2. Sacrifice of a goat at Nuwakot Durbar Square. A priest drinks blood from the dying goat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vxOCrNSdTU
3. The annual sacrifice of buffaloes and goats in Achham during November. The buffaloes suffer a long and agonizing death as they are hacked to death. Villagers believe that the more often “devotees” bite and hack at the buffaloes, the more satisfied the goddess Barbadevi Mai will be.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vxOCrNSdTU
Khokana Festival’ Day… the day that a 5-6 month old goat is thrown in a pond close to Rudrayani temple in Khokana, a village in the south of Kathmandu Valley, following which nine young men will enter the pond and then start to …tear the goat apart by grasping its legs, ears, hoof or tail. The one who manages to kill the goat is the ‘hero’ and will lead the Shinkali dance which is held afterwards.
Please see video, at:
Khokana residents have witnessed the barbaric scene year in, year out, and think it provides religious merit.
It is not clear why and when the cruel goat-killing was introduced. Locals believe that when children started to drown in the pond in the 12th century, residents started to drown a live goat to appease the gods. However, there is evidence showing that devotees in former times offered fruits and flowers in the temple and that the act with the struggling goat was introduced to create a spectacle.
Despite the attempts of AWNN (Animal Welfare Network Nepal) and the village anti-sacrifice group to stop the goat sacrifice, it looks as though it will take place yet again today, 12th August (the day after Gai Jatra).
ON ANIMAL SACRIFICE IN NEPAL
First off: Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing of an animal as part of a religion. It is practised by many religions as a means of appeasing a god or gods or changing the course of nature. Animal sacrifice has turned up in almost all cultures, from the Hebrews to the Greeks and Romans and from the Aztecs to the Hindus and is still practiced today.
Remnants of ancient rituals of animal sacrifice are apparent in many cultures, for example the Spanish bullfights, or kapparos in Judaism, or ritual slaughter procedures like shechita or ḏabīḥah in Judaism and Islam, respectively and many other forms.
IN NEPAL, animal sacrifice is part of various ‘puja’ ritual offerings performed when Hindus worship idols. Animals are killed to get once wish fulfilled, to sanctify weddings, new homes or religious festivals. Upon purchasing a new car or truck, the owner sometimes splashes its exterior with fresh animal blood, to ensure the vehicle doesn’t crash whenever it is driven.
For certain groups ‘puja’ is merely symbolic — an offering of fruits, vegetables, butter, yogurt, money or flowers. For others ‘puja’ must involve animal blood. This death to please the gods is also interpreted as doing the animal a favour by releasing it from a life of suffering.
Sacrifices are performed as a mass bloodletting, such as during the Durga Puja festival when, once a year, soldiers in the centre of Kathmandu decapitate hundreds of water buffalos and goats — trying to dispatch each with a single stroke. During Nepal’s largest festival, the Dasain feast in early autumn, up to 10,000 goats and other animals are slaughtered. Among sacrificial animals are water buffaloes, male goats, lamb, sheep, chicken, ducks, birds, snakes and pigs. Contrary to what people tend to belief, sacrifice causes great distress and suffering to the animals involved.
In the next video:
Animal sacrifice in Bhaktapur Square, Kathmandu, Nepal. Argued as a mainstream part of Nepali culture and Hindu culture. The ceremony in fact does ask for animal’s agreement to sacrifice – through man’s interpretation anyway – with signal that animal shakes its head!
The world’s goriest mass killing of animals – the Gadhimai Festival – which is an unparalleled religious madness during which a few hundred thousands buffaloes, pigs, goats, pigeons, rabbits and chickens will be killed as part of the blood-soaked festival held every five years (November 24, 25) to honour the Hindu goddess of power.
There have been protest against this mass animal slaughtering in Nepal and all over the world, but despite all the protests, the festival and the slaughtering of animals went on in 2009 festival and is expected to be ‘celebrated’ again.
Around 250.000 animals were slaughtered, including the young ones of the animals.
Please see:
FACTS & FIGURES
– Animal sacrifice is conducted in most goddess temples.
– The total number of animals sacrifices annually is estimated to be a few hundred thousand; most villages offer 250-1000 animals during Dasain festival alone.
– Sacrifices are generally conducted in the presence of children.
– There is no law to regulate animal sacrifice.
– The government supports sacrifices with subsidies.
– Annual Dasain sacrifices are shown life on national TV.
.- Nepal’s diverse multi-religious ethnic groups are all involved.
– There is very little awareness about the welfare aspect of blood sacrifices.
– Priests are among the promoters of animal sacrifice.
– Grave abuse takes place in the transport and killing of the animals.
– Gadhimai Festival takes place once every 5 years and ranks among the world’s worst forms of animal cruelty.
– Apart from known sacrifice through throat slitting and beheading other extreme forms of blood sacrifices include the tearing apart of a live goat by young men, burning of live snakes, live skinning of pigs, removal of hearts from live animals, etc. (Source: Stop Animal Sacrifice)
THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE CALENDAR OF NEPAL
In Nepal there is not much respite for animals destined to be sacrificed. Here is a summary of sacrificial events held in Nepal throughout the year (courtesy of Stop Animal Sacrifice).
January
Maghesakrati – This festival celebrates the first day of the Nepali month Magha (Mid January) when Winter ends and Summer is heralded. Thousands of Hindu devotees dip in the river. In Talukchandani village in Nuwakot district fights between oxens are organized. Although the oxens are not made to fight till death they often get badly injured. No arrangements for medical treatment are made. In the 2008 fight one of the oxens received a deep wound while the other fractured its leg.
February
N/A
March
Blood drinking festival – Early March the first in a series of yak blood drinking festivals is organized in Nangi, Myagdi district. In April/May and June/July similar happenings take place in lower Mustang. During the event the jugular veins of yaks are pierced and blood is collected in cups. Hundreds of people buy the blood, believed to have medicinal qualities. The yaks recover but it is a stressful event for the animals.
Chaite Dasain – This festival is also called ‘small Dasain’ as it lasts only for 2 days while Dasain in September/October lasts for 9 days. Animal sacrifices, especially of water buffaloes and goats, are an important feature of the festival. Blood sacrifices are carried out in Durga temples across the country. Both during Dasain and Chaite Dasain the Nepal army conducts sacrifices at Hanuman Dhoka palace in Kathmanduand the guardhouse in Bhaktapur Durbar Square.
April
Godhe Jatra – During the Horse Festival a grand horse parade takes place at Tundikhel, in the heart of Kathmandu. Another event takes place in Bal Kumari area in Patan where a horse is intoxicated with spirits. An equally drunk person in a traditional Newari attire rides it. People shout to frighten and enrage the animal until it runs madly with the rider clinging to it.
Bisket Jatra/New Year – During Bisket for seven days chariots representing Bhairava and Goddess Bhadrakali are pulled through Bhaktapur. On the 3rd day panch bali (five animals) involves the sacrifice of a chicken, duck, goat, sheep and buffalo. On the 4th day the government sends state offerings: 2 sacrificial goats. On New Year day farmers sacrifice female chicken that have not yet laid eggs.
May
Budha Jyanti/Rana Kul Puja – The Nepali month Jyestha (May/June) is the month for Newar and Rana clan pujas which involve the sacrifice of countless goats and ducks. The Rana clan puja is held on Buddha’s birthday and sees the killing of hundreds of goats.
Panauti festival – Panauti is located 30 km outside of Kathmandu. Its festival is apalanquin and chariot festival. The 9 day festival starts in Jyestha (May-June) and ends in Ashad (June-July). On the 5th day Panauti residents sacrifice male goats and ducks
June
Navadurga/Bhagasti –The nine goddesses or Nava Durga are worshipped with masked dances which begin in Dashain in October and end in Bhagasti in June. Countless animals are sacrificed during rituals accompanying the dances. The dancers get intoxicated on the fresh blood spewing from the necks of dying animals as well as alcohol. The animals who are killed in the presence of the public and whose blood is drank include goats, ducks and buffaloes.
Some of the extreme forms of cruelty in the Tantric rituals include the removal of the heart of a live piglet, the biting off of the head of a cock (see September) and the eating of blood-stained offerings.
The dances are also performed in the major places of Kathmandu Valley and Kavre district. In Lalitpur district the dances are organized in Patan and villages such as Pharping, Khokana, Harasiddhi. In Kathmandu district the dances are performed in Sankhu and Pharping. The number of animal sacrifices varies from place to place. Moderately wealthy families may offer panchabali (five species of animals). Elaborate sacrifices takes place in Theco, Khokana and Jala, more than fifty ducks and twenty-five goats are offered in just one of the rituals.
July
N/A
August
Khokana festival – Khokana festival is held every year in August, the day after Gai Jatra. A 5-6 month old live goat is thrown in a pond close to Rudrayani temple in Khokana, a village in the south of Kathmandu Valley. Nine young men enter the pond and start to tear the goat apart by grasping its legs, ears, hoof or tail. The one who manages to kill the goat is the ‘hero’ and leads the Shinkali dance which is held afterwards.
September
Dasain – Dasain festivals is Nepal’s largest festivals which is celebrated during the month of Kartik (late September and early October). During the Dashain festivals (Dasain and Chaite Dasain – see March), priests perform various Tantric rituals to Goddess Durga Bhawani, and the Living Goddess Kumari. Dasain sees the greatest numbers of animals sacrificed. During Kalrati, in Taleju Temple, the government publicly beheads 54 buffaloes and 54 he-goats, followed by the killing of 108 buffaloes by the Nepal Army. The event draws many devotees and is screened on national Television. At the same time in the palace in Gurkha 108 buffaloes are being beheaded. This marks the start of mass sacrifice by the people across the country; it is estimated that hundreds of thousands of goats are being sacrificed during Dasain as well as an unknown number of buffaloes, ducks, chicken, birds, etc.
Dasain Bhaktapur – At Taleju temple in Bhaktapur 25 buffaloes and some 20 goats are killed by cutting their throats and spilling blood over all the images. Only then they are beheaded. The temple area is soaked with blood. The heads of the animals are displayed around the image of Taleju.
During the Navadurga dances, on the ninth day of Dasain, people feed a water buffalo drunk on rice beer. The staggering animal is chase by a crowd of people it to Brahmayani where nine Goddesses are installed at the night. The priest performs a Tantric worship to sacrifice the drunk buffalo believed to be possessed by a demon called Mahi-sa-shur. The nine Navadurga dancers receive a fountain of blood in their mouth directly from the vein of the buffalo.
In one ritual a dancer bites off the head of a cockrel and drinks the blood that spews out.
Another ritual is the chasing of a sacrificial pig, stolen by groups of young men and boys. The youngsters run around carrying the squeaking pig under their jackets and passing it quickly from one to the other. The animal is released after two hours after which a dancer grabs it. He tears the heart of the live baby pig out after which it is eaten raw. As the dancers are forbidden to use knives or instruments the lead dancer tears the skin under the piglet’s forelegs with his fingernails, insert his hand and pulls out the heart. The dancers drink blood from the piglet’s open chest.
October
(See September)
November
Indrayani – This festival is held during the new moon night at the Indrayani temple at Swayambhunath. During the previous night three buffaloes are slaughtered in the temple. The first buffalo’s throat is cut and its blood sprayed all over the temple and the goddess images. The other animals’ heads are cut off. The head, heart and lungs of one buffalo are burned in the sacred fire. Climax of the festival is the sacrifice of a pair of live snakes by throwing them into a sacrificial fire. Apart from snakes pairs of live sparrows, grasshoppers and fishes are burned alive while others are released by throwing them into the air. Serpent sacrifices are known from three other places inNepal.
Gadhimai – This festival held in Bara district takes place every five years in November.
It is known as one of the worst forms of animal cruelty in the world.
In a span of 2 days some 200,000 animals are sacrificed. 20,000 buffaloes are publicly beheaded by licensed butchers who randomly hack the animals to death. In a span of 5 km around the Gadhimai temple anyone can kill any kind of animal in whatever manner. After 2 days the place has turned into a foul smelling marsh land covered in blood and animal remains.
Elephant polo – The World Elephant Polo Championship takes place in Nepal annually from late November till early December. Elephant polo may seem a fun game but remember that elephants do not naturally ride bicycles, balance on balls or play polo. In order to force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers typically use cruel training methods that inflict pain and cause fear.
Please accept the expression of our deepest concern and respect.
As of now we encourage everybody to boycott your animal abusing nation until you live in the 21st Century; NOT the Dark Ages.
You are not civilized and never will be all the time this mass slaughter is allowed !
Sincerely,
Nationality:
END OF SAMPLE LETTER – please make sure you give your nationality.
Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, DOCUMENTS, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, LETTERS, PHOTOGRAPHS - **WARNING** (Animal Suffering), The "Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) ALLIANCE, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »
Serbian Animals Voice (SAV) 