Gadhimai Festival

STOP THE NEPAL ‘GADHIMAI’ FESTIVAL

In 2009 up to 250,000 farm animals were inhumanely slaughtered as part of the Nepalese festival ‘Gadhimai’ which takes place every five years in the Bara District of Nepal, south of Kathmandu. In November 2014 this barbaric slaughter is due to take place again. Worse still, this is funded by the Nepalese government. Please support Compassion In World Farming, who are working alongside the Nepalese Hindu Forum, to stop this slaughter. Surya Upadhya, Chair of the Hindu Forum said:

‘The Nepalese Hindu Forum UK completely opposes animal sacrifice as Hinduism does not sanction the killing of living beings… There should not be any place for this inhumane, barbaric sacrifice of innocent animals in the name of any religion.’

Several different species of farm animals are slaughtered at Gadhimai, including large numbers of buffalo – tens of thousands corralled into one giant pen. Once the day of slaughter comes, it is reported that over 200 slaughtermen are sent into the pen wielding swords. The buffalo are then beheaded while fully conscious. This is a totally unacceptable way to slaughter any animal. Beheading is no easy task and it has been reported that it often takes several attempts to behead the buffalo. Some reports state that buffalo are brought to the ground first by cutting the tendons in their legs. Furthermore, in this festival setting, with thousands of unfamiliar animals penned in together, they will experience huge levels of stress and fear, not least when other buffalo are slaughtered all around them.

Compassion in World Farming is working closely with Animal Welfare Network Nepal to end the inhumane treatment of animals at this festival. They are supporting grass-roots education and campaign work in the local community to create a groundswell of resistance to the slaughter festival. But they need your help to apply international pressure on the Nepalese Government.

You can sign the petition at http://www.ciwf.org.uk/our-campaigns/slaughter/

Nitin Mehta Speaks at CIWF Protest at Nepalese Embassy

During the Gadhimai event that takes place every year in Nepal around 25,000 animals are killed to appease the Goddess. On Saturday 11th October Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) organized a protest outside the embassy.

Famous celebrity and a passionate campaigner for animal rights, Joanna Lumley, addressed the rally as did Anil Bhanot of Hindu Council. Over 77,000 signatures urging the Nepalese Government to stop the slaughter were handed over to the embassy representative. It was a heart warming scene to see hundreds of animal rights activists who found the time to turn up for compassion towards animals.

Nitin Mehta addressed the rally and said:

‘Nepal is a beautiful country nestled on the footsteps of the mighty Himalayas. The majority of Nepalese people are Hindus, a religion which is deeply rooted in the idea of Ahimsa- Nonviolence. Hindus are forbidden to harm even an ant and it is due to this reason that most Hindus are vegetarian. The practice of killing animals to please Gods and Goddesses is a complete misrepresentation of Hinduism. Killing of innocent animals results in getting bad Karma. Bad Karma impacts individuals as well as countries. For the people of Nepal to have peace, happiness and prosperity it is vital to stop killing animals in the name of religion. The tens of thousands of animals killed at the Gadhimai event will fill Nepal with an atmosphere of violence, negativity and screams of poor animals. The beautiful country of Nepal does not need this negativity which will hang over it like an unmovable cloud. By showing mercy to animals Nepal will reap good Karma and people from all over the world will have praise and goodwill for the country. So standing here today in front of the Nepalese embassy in London, I urge the government of Nepal to immediately stop the forthcoming killing of animals. There are rare opportunities in life when an individual gets the opportunity to do something really noble which make his or her time on this planet glorious. I urge the people of Nepal and the Prime Minister of Nepal to seize this opportunity and make history. I convey this message also as a patron of Quaker Concern for animals many of whose members are present here. I end with a quote of Mahatma Gandhi: The moral progress of a nation and its greatness should be judged by the way it treats its animals.’