Friday

Education is a critical part of any animal welfare reform initiative.

Every year, Rajo Sankranti (a mass festival in Odisha, India) is a feast day for the villagers of Srirampur and its neighboring villages under the Pattamundai police limit, where hundreds of animals are killed for the Deity Maa Ramchandi, Srirampur.

The Deity’s temple is situated on the campus of a school with 428 students who bear witness annually to hundreds of animals being killed by s slaughterer (ghatak). The innocent kids, ranging from 5 to 13 years old, are shocked by the event every year. Thanks to Jilla Pashubali Pratirodha Mancha, there was a district level forum for the prevention of animal sacrifice and the animal welfare organization Action for Protection of Wild Animals (APOWA).

Jointly we have been campaigning for abolition of this heinous superstitious tradition for the last decade. Fortunately this year, just a few days ago, the animal sacrifices were completely stopped.

Police arrested one slaughterer named Chaitany Rana of nearby village Damarpur and our volunteers along with some village youth started an awareness campaign, distributing leaflets and picketing in front of the temple. Together we brought 120 years of tradition to a close.

We would like to thank the district administration, local tahasildar Mr.Pabitramohan Dash, IIC police station pattamundai Mr. Amitav Mohapatra and the village youth for their timely cooperation. Last year more than 320 animals were sacrificed in that place, and now the bloodshed has ended
Source

Responses to "120-Year-Old Tradition of Animal Sacrifice Ends After 12 Year Battle"

  1. donnafrie siewertsen says:

    Am so happy with that good news! Well done! donnafrie siewertsen, NL

  2. WOLF says:

    About time.
    Keep moving forward and discard such antiquated beliefs.
    They hold us back.

  3. The Guardsman says:

    "Together we brought 120 years of tradition to a close." this is something to be proud of?

  4. Anonymous says:

    Umm yes "The Guardsman"! It's called EVOLUTION.....

  5. Anonymous says:

    and they believe in KARMA...peace

  6. The Guardsman says:

    or it is called religious persecution

  7. Anonymous says:

    It was animal persecution and now it has stopped. Just because it has always been done that way doesn't mean it was right.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Fabulous!!
    I am so thrilled!!!

  9. Jay says:

    Just because something is said to to be tradition over many years, doesent mean it's right. As years go by we become more civilized,knowledgeable and hopefully more compasionate human beings, and appriciate the wonderfull and amazing animals all around us, that feel, pain, fear and when they get it, respond lovingly back to even basic love and care..... please be aware of any animal cruelty anywhere, no excuse for any ignorant country's.... We can only try and get thing's changed, we may feel helpless, but it's more than doing nothing!!!!....

  10. Anonymous says:

    Wonderful news

  11. Anonymous says:

    In this age no one is entitled to sacrifice any animal. That was allowed only in Satya Yuga when the brahmanas were so pure and powerful as to revive the animal after death or send him straight to heaven with a celestial body. IN this age there is no one like that , so animal sacrifice is obsolete and prohibited. It took too long for this to be stop, better late than never.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Thank you. The beginnings of change cannot come soon enough. Amazing work.

  13. Anonymous says:

    This is a true blessing!! Much more work to be done but any step forward is better than no step at all.

  14. Anonymous says:

    Very Well Done!! I'm so happy that the animals won't be killed in this dreadful sacrifice!

  15. what kind of animals were they killing?

  16. Anonymous says:

    Just goes to show how the minority, by standing together, can influence the majority.

    Excellent work.Congratulations and a massive Thank You from all UK animal lovers!!!

  17. Anonymous says:

    How horrible a practice.. the thought is so sadning...Your picture was effecitivly creepy.. I hope this means we are evolving .. So amazing to think this has stopped. Now to think women and men would stop would stop wearing fur coats.

  18. Anonymous says:

    Thanks 2 d people who stopped animal sacrifices there.But I'm damnsure that like these things r happening all over the world.Hope they will end up these also.and we all must support it!!!

  19. Anonymous says:

    thank goodness!!!.. we praise you oh Lord for making this possible, i hope and pray that 1 day there would be no more slaughter of animals also, not only in India but all over the world.. amen... :)

  20. Anonymous says:

    Thank God this barbaric practice has ended, if people want sacrifices, then sacrifice eachother, not innocent animals.

  21. Anonymous says:

    wow way to kill some one else s religion.. dose this mean i can start a campaign for the mistreatment of white doves held at the Vatican. ?

  22. The Guardsman says:

    Ha the last Anonymous. This whole thing is ridiculous, maybe we can start sacrificing whiny liberals who just feel the need to destroy other people's religion because they have no souls.

  23. While this is fantastic news, I am sure many people will go home and happily have a hamburger and chicken soup. I cannot believe that someone feels this will kill your religion. That is ridiculous. Animal abuse in every form has to be condemned. Be it India, China, Vatican, or the United States. It does not matter. ANIMAL ABUSE IS ANIMAL ABUSE, irrespective of geography, culture, or race.

  24. Shiananda says:

    The Guardsman, you are a one scary person.... if you represent religion...god help us.

  25. Anonymous says:

    Huntsman- If it was human sacrifices in the name of religion would you protest as vehemently?!sati is also a tradition & it is illegal now , thanks to right thinking individuals. There is no excuse for cruelty & unfortunately it is mainly religion which is used as an excuse for cruelty over centuries, from the Spanish inquisition, burning witches at the stake & now fundamentalism where people fly airplanes into tall buildings.I guess you side with all those traditions in the name of religion.

  26. The Guardsman says:

    By huntsman I assume you mean me since there is no huntsman posting here. Ok for starters every example you gave were cases of religious persecution like I have been arguing that this is. So I am not really sure who's point you are trying to prove and farther more with the war on terror I joined the Army and I went to the middle east in defense of our country I am gonna guess you did not I am gonna say you probably just stayed in whatever country you were in and just whined about it. There is a big difference between killing animals in the name of a god and flying a plane into a building. It had nothing to do with religion though they did hide behind that fact. It was an attack on the American way of life. As far as human sacrifices, there were religions in central America and other areas where people were honored and fought for the chance to be sacrificed to there gods.

  27. Anonymous says:

    I would not have believed it could happen so promptly, and I am overjoyed to know that a land so steeped in tradition could move forward in the name of humane behaviour. Well done, India!

  28. Anonymous says:

    If this "tradition" was only 120 years old, what kind of "tradition" was it? Or has there be an attempt to stop it for only 120 years? If it has only been around for 120 years, then hooray it's been stopped. If people have been trying to stop it for the last 120 years, then Hooray they finally succeeded!

  29. Val says:

    Thank You to all that were involved in getting this mass murder stopped once and for all.

  30. I hope the group continues in other areas of India where it still happens. I was there, and it's not
    pretty. Om Shanti.

    -j

  31. Anonymous says:

    I am very happy about this news! Well done! Education works!!Annette, Netherlands

  32. heathersdolphins says:

    Thank you Animal Welfare Groups and activists for stopping this horrible "tradition". I do agree with "Yoga with John" that there is much more work to be done there. However, this is such a wonderful begining to help the animals in India. Your work is nothing short of a miracle. Again, thank you so very much for helping the animals of India.

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