FW: Animal Welfare Network Nepal Statements by Gadhimai Campaigners and Other Observers

[Guest guest]

Powerful words, brave people, and lots of dead beings...om mani padme hum.

jigs

 

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------

> lucia de vries <luciadevries

> Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:11:52 -0800

> NP: Statements by Gadhimai Campaigners and Other Observers

> stopanimalsacrifice <stopanimalsacrifice (AT) googl (DOT) com>,

> animalnepal <animalnepal >, aapn <aapn >

>

> Birgunj, November 24, 2009

>

> Statements by Gadhimai Campaigners and Other Observers

>

> Manoj Gautam, Representative of Roots and Shoots Nepal : ŒI am in

> total shock after watching the killing of the buffaloes. I have no

> words to describe the scene. Thousands of buffaloes were standing in

> an enclosure when butchers holding swords started hacking randomly at

> the animals. No one was holding the buffaloes ­ many tried to escape.

> Baby buffaloes were bleating and searching for their mothers. Soon

> they were walking around in a pool of blood. They were hunted down by

> the men. Needless to say, not a single animal survived the blood bath.

> In fact, some animals had already died before the sacrifice from the

> transport and the lack of food and water. They were left in the same

> spot with the living ones. It was a scene I will never be able to

> forget. Now I just want to go home and wait for the courage to

> continue our campaign.¹

>

> Krishna Singh, Programme Manager Animal Nepal: ŒI visited Gadhimai

> before the killing started and what I saw made me very sad. There was

> a baby goat that died from a lack of food and water. It just lied

> there ­ no one seem to notice it. The baby buffaloes came up to me,

> and wanted to be petted. They were scared and needed some comfort.¹

>

> Bibi Funyal, photographer: ŒI was assigned to film the festival. At

> first I seemed okay but when the killing started I suddenly found my

> knees shaking. In the beginning the butchers were able to cut the

> heads of the buffaloes in one stroke. Later they seemed to get into a

> frenzy and did not kill properly. I would take them a long time to

> severe the heads. The buffaloes were mooing ­ it was a terrible sound.

> The babies were searching for their mothers, not understanding what

> was going. At some point a baby buffalo came up to me and it touched

> my tripod. That was when I felt I would be passing out if I continued

> filming. When I left the place I had to step over thousands of bodies

> and heads and wade through animal blood. It was something I will never

> do again, even if they offer me an award.¹

>

> Lucia de Vries, Director Animal Nepal, international campaigner: ŒNow

> that I observed the festival I am convinced that these killings are

> among the worst forms of animal cruelty in the world. I pray that when

> the images come out the international community will agree that we

> have to stop this. To kill thousands of buffaloes without any

> humanity, by starving them for 2/3 days, by not tethering them, by

> carrying out the beheading publicly by butchers in a frenzy, and by

> mixing the dead with the living, is something unimaginable and totally

> unnecessary. I have a sense of failure and feel we have let these

> beautiful, loyal creatures down entirely. I appeal to all concerned

> citizens to do whatever is in their ability to stop the killings at

> Gadhimai.¹

>

> Pramada Shah, President of Animal Welfare Network Nepal: ŒAfter being

> at Gadhimai I now have an even stronger determination to continue the

> campaign as long as it takes for them to stop. No other country would

> allow such a massacre. I feel the government should have taken a

> stronger stand or at least appealed to the people to worship in a non

> violent manner. They used the lame excuse that this is an ancient

> culture that should run its course. I don¹t blame the innocent

> devotees but rather the organizers and the educated who do not seem to

> care. We intend to work in coordination with the Indian groups to

> raise awareness among the visitors, of whom 60-80 percent are Indian.

> We also want to work with the local communities with the hope that the

> next Gadhimai will be a different one.¹

>

>

> --

> Lucia de Vries

> Freelance Journalist

> Nepal - Netherlands