CNN —
Animal rights activists have urged the Nepali government to stop what they’ve called “an appalling bloodbath” after they claimed thousands of animals were killed as part of a festival held every five years that traditionally ends with a mass sacrifice.
At least 4,200 buffaloes and thousands of goats and pigeons were killed during a mass sacrifice held as part of the Gadhimai festival, in Bariyarpur village near the Nepal- India border, according to Humane Society International India (HSI).
Participants believe that sacrificing animals in the Gadhimai temple pleases the Goddess Gadhimai, who will then grant them wishes or good fortune. Animals are also sacrificed to celebrate the birth of sons.
In 2016 Nepal’s supreme court ordered a gradual phasing out of the practice of animal sacrifice that once saw as many as half a million animals killed, but activists say not enough is being done to end it.
Shyam Prasad Yadav, the mayor of Gadhimai, told CNN that that was “not true” and that government officials had been working with temple authorities to gradually end the practice.
“That’s why the sacrifice this year was limited,” he added.
Hindu devotees observe baby male buffaloes prepared for sacrifice during the Gadhimai Festival in Nepal’s Bara district. HSI
‘They will never be able to stop it’
Animal rights groups have been campaigning to end the slaughter for a decade but have faced resistance from community members who are honoring a custom dating back more than 200 years.
Before the festival, Upendra Kushwaha, 20, said his family has been participating in the event for generations, and would be sacrificing a buffalo this year.
“It happens only once in five years, so we have to do it, it brings goodwill, it keeps us safe,” Kushwaha said.
When asked about the animal rights organizations’ attempt to stop the practice, Kushwaha said: “This is part of our culture, it’s our tradition, they will never be able to stop it.”
Shristi Bhandari, executive director of Jane Goodall Institute Nepal (JGIN), said she understands where the villagers are coming from.
“Animals are sacrificed in various religious rituals in Nepal year-round, so they feel why are they being singled out, why is all this attention, and international attention, on them.”
But Arkaprava Bhar, from HSI, who has witnessed the sacrifice, says it’s the most horrific thing he’s ever seen.
Devotees raise their sacrificial blades as the sacrificial ceremony of the
