Millions Of Animals Slaughtered For Festival — And Today, It Stopped [UPDATE]

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UPDATE: The BBC is now reporting Ram Chandra Shah, chairman of the Gadhimai Temple Management and Development Committee, has denied that any ban is in place for the Gadhimai festival.

"Devout Hindus could be requested not to offer animal sacrifice to the goddess, but they could not be forced not to do so - nor [could] the tradition be banned or stopped completely," he told the BBC. "Nothing will change as far as the tradition of offering animal sacrifice during the festival is concerned. Things will not change no matter what the four [in the delegation] do or say. It's our age-old tradition."

According to the article, the original quotes may have been taken out of context. Meanwhile, the BBC also reports that HSI maintains the original quotes were from Ram Chandra Shah and that the ban is still in place. The Dodo has reached out to HSI for more information and will update this story when we have it.

Tradition is no longer an excuse for killing an animal in Nepal, where animal advocates are applauding the new ban on animal sacrifice at a 265-year-old festival, which had been the biggest animal sacrifice in the world.

Every five years, the Gadhimai festival honors a Hindu goddess, Gadhimai - in previous years, by decapitating live pigs, goats, chickens, and buffalo, among other animals. In 2009, half a million animals were killed. During the festival in 2014, protests were organized and held all over the world. The tradition came from a dream the temple's founder, Bhagwan Chowdhary, once had: He dreamt that the Hindu goddess wanted blood as a thank you for freeing him from prison.

But the tide has changed, thanks to devoted campaigning from animal lovers, including the welfare groups Animal Welfare Network Nepal and Humane Society International/India. "This is a tremendous victory for compassion that will save the lives of countless animals," Gauri Maulekhi, of HSI/India, said in a statement. "We commend the temple committee but acknowledge that a huge task lies ahead of us in educating the public so that they are fully aware." He added that HSI/India will work hard over the next three and a half years spreading the word and educating the public on the Temple Trusts' decision not to sacrifice animals.

The Gadhimai's temple trust chairman Ram Chandra Shah, released this powerful statement:

For generations, pilgrims have sacrificed animals to the Goddess Gadhimai, in the hope of a better life. For every life taken, our heart is heavy. The time has come to transform an old tradition. The time has come to replace killing and violence with peaceful worship and celebration.

Our concern has been this: how do we convince the people, so desperate for the favour of Gadhimai, that there is another way? How do we bring them on our journey? Thankfully, the dedicated efforts of the Animal Welfare Network Nepal and Humane Society International/India has shown us the path and provided the motivation to make this transformation a reality.

Because of its willingness to change with the times, Nepal seems to be quickly becoming a mecca for animal lovers everywhere. The country already shows compassion for animals in other beautiful traditions. A festival that honors dogs for their loyalty and friendship offered solace to the world during the cruel Yulin Dog Meat Festival earlier this summer. And a recent video shows a boy who stood up to adults save a baby goat from sacrifice at a temple in Nepal.

You can thank the temple trustees of the festival for their incredible compassion and willingness to change here.