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Page 2 of 4 Dharamsala Saturday 21 November 2009: Despite protests from Animal rights groups, Nepal will slaughter half a million animals on Nov 24th and 25th 2009 to “appease the goddess Gadhimai” during the Gadhimai festival held once every 5 years at Bariyapur in Bara district of southern Nepal . Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) strongly condemns this mass sacrifice of innocent animals. TVA does not intend to hurt the sentiments of the devotees but we believe this is an unnecessary suffering. Billed as the world’s largest animal sacrifice fair, the event is expected to attract thousands of Hindu devotees from across the country and several Indian states as well.  The Buddha boy wrote to the organizers asking them not to slaughter the animals but his request was rejected. It is a big Hindu festival and now the Buddha boy is thinking to go there and try to stop it by himself. Ram Bahadur Bomjan is a Buddhist teenager and gained popularity as ‘Buddha Boy’ some years back for meditating in the forests without food and water for several days.
According to estimates, nearly 500,000 animals including buffaloes, goats, ducks, roosters and pigeons would be sacrificed at the fair in the name of religion. Hollywood actress turned animal rights activist Brigitte Bardot and animal rights activist & politician Maneka Gandhi have written to Nepalese government seeking government intervention to stop the massacre. But the government is not prepared to hurt religious sentiments by banning the practice.  Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche has requested all the centers and students to read the Golden Light Sutra and recite the Padmasambhava prayer for removing obstacles and for quick success, for the sacrifice not to happen. This needs to be done quickly as the sacrifice is happening on 24th November. You can find the Padmasambhava prayer here: http://semchen.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=111&Itemid=82
Despite all the development and progress in the world, our behavior and attitude towards fellow sentient beings has still remained primitive. It is high time we should observe our actions and realize that these mute, innocent sentient beings are more than just piece of meat or an object of sacrifice rituals. These animals are not just a subject of compassion, they need help, a voice to speak for them. Animal Welfare Network Nepal and Anti ANimal Sacrifice Alliance is coordinating the campaign to stop this and will be present at the festival. For more information on the campaign against Gadhimai visit www.gadimai.blogspot.com Fresh Images from Nepal Click here
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