Monday, November 24, 2014

UPDATE - Courage

UPDATE:
from a Facebook post by Animal Welfare Network Nepal (AWNN) - 
The organizers said this would be the “biggest and most spectacular” Gadhimai Festival ever. They projected there would be 500,000 animals sacrificed. So confident of numbers, they sold in advance the carcasses of 10,000 buffalo to a meat contractor for US$160,000. This contractor has now backed out after counting only 3,266 buffalo carcasses, with an estimated 15,000 goats and 5-10,000 pigeons. The carcasses are being left to rot in the ground, whilst the organizers are facing a huge financial loss.
This is the first Gadhimai Festival since our Stop Animal Sacrifice campaign began, and already we have reduced animal sacrifices by at least 70%. For five years we have been conducting mass sensitization in all 99 villages of Bara district, and we have reached every single adult in the five villages surrounding the festival area. Together with our friends from Humane Society International, we have moved the Supreme Courts in Nepal and India, and we worked so hard on the ground to save as many animals as possible, despite much adversity and great personal risk (due to the political and corruptive forces behind Gadhimai). We mobilized hundreds of volunteers, confiscated thousands of animals, and convinced countless pilgrims not to sacrifice their animals. At the last, we held an all night protest within the heart of the temple itself and convinced the butchers to release over 300 buffalo.
The whole event has been a disaster for the organizers and has exposed the total incompetence of the Nepalese authorities. 
- Manoj Gautam, President AWNN

This......is also Planet Earth, November, 2014
 Many pray it is the last time ever. May it be so.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Next weekend - the most massive religious animal sacrifice on the planet.
It happens every 5 years.
It is an alcohol-fueled demonic hell-realm.
A million people will show up.

India outlawed animal sacrifice, and is manning the border, but it is still planned to go forward despite last 5 years of activists' efforts and petitions to Nepal govt.

Below is kickstarter page for one courageous young man, wildlife activist, whom a film-maker is attempting to document.
I will not post more links.
If interested, you can search "Gadhimai festival", but be very aware of horrifically disturbing images from the search.

For the 4 min. film :
ALL LIVING THINGS


2 comments:

amarynth said...

I'm stunned. I have no words.

lauren said...

And thanks for the heads up on this project. I chipped in a little in support.
I can only imagine what he must endure filming this.
May it come to an end soon.