200,000 Animals Slaughtered in Hindu Festival

Hindu devotees lined up outside a temple in southern Nepal on November 24, 2009 at the start of a two-day religious celebration involving the sacrificial slaughter of over 200,000+ animals. More than 200,000 buffaloes, goats, chickens and pigeons will be killed on November 24 and 25, 2009 at the temple in the jungles of Bara district, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Katmandu. Protests have occurred in recent weeks in towns near the Gadhimai temple and in the capital Katmandu by animals rights activists and other religious groups; however, Hindu organizers said they would not halt the slaughter because it was a centuries-old tradition which occurs every five years. Participants believe sacrificing the animals for the Hindu goddess "Gadhimai" will end evil and bring prosperity.

Source: ap