The latest news from the amazing people that work tirelessly for animals in Nepal. LATEST UPDATE FROM AWNN Hi folks, a lot has happened since our update last week and we just wanted to fill you in on the latest developments. Last week, we got SO close. The High Priest of the Gadhimai Temple was about to give a Press Conference denouncing animal sacrifice. We have some high level political support from India and Nepal and we were using this to negotiate with members of the Gadhimai Trust (the individuals behind the festival). These people have political ambitions and also are very dependent on India for their livelihoods, so they are easily influenced. But at the very last minute something went wrong and they decided to go their own way disregarding our offer. We are still working on this approach and looking at compromises such as live offerings, for example where the buffaloes’ ears are pricked and a few drops of blood spilled from each animal. Obviously this still carries a host of animal welfare concerns but it would prevent their killing and send a strong message. It’s not easy ground, especially as things have got very heated in the local villages and the safety of our team is at risk. The strength of feeling about sacrifice is so strong that anyone who speaks out publicly becomes a target. Also, Bara is a fairly desperate and lawless place, with huge societal problems (e.g. in the last 3 weeks, 3 girls under the age of 10 have been raped and killed in the district). For the last five years, we have been trying to sensitize local people about animal welfare and promote peaceful worship. We have stepped this up to the next level now. For instance, in the last 2 days over 100,000 pamphlets have been distributed informing people that the Goddess does not want blood and anyone who spills blood will be the target of her wrath. The Gadhimai Mela officially started on Monday and crowds are building. The good news is that there are much fewer people than in the past. Usually by now Kalaiya (the nearest town to the Gadhimai Temple) is jam-packed, but now it is still looking pretty normal. Animal movement is also very low compared to previous times. According to Nepal’s quarantine officials, overall national import of animals from India is down by 60%. The impact of the Indian Supreme Court Order is really being felt. Humane Society International and People for Animals are coordinating the border seal on the Indian side. Hundreds of animals have already been stopped. This has caused some rioting but the Border Police have it under control. AWNN gets informed when some animals (like recently a truck full of buffalo) trickle across the border and we are able to make sure these are intercepted. Meanwhile we are constructing Checkposts around the perimeter of the Gadhimai site and have hundreds of volunteers mobilized to assist the Department of Livestock in inspecting animals and confiscating those that are sick or lack the correct documents. We are also creating an animal holding facility to house sick animals and those that are voluntarily relinquished by their owners. The more people we can mobilize, the more animals will be confiscated or relinquished. We are hoping that the Home Minister himself will be in Bara soon to help us mobilize the Armed Police Force and other authorities. On Tuesday we filed a Public Interest Litigation at the Supreme Court of Nepal, calling for a national ban on animal sacrifice. It was filed by the countrys most senior lawyer, Mr Shambhu Thapa, and a panel of other top lawyers. The petitioners were Constituent Assembly member Rajya Laxmi Golchha, Mr. Manoj Gautam (AWNN President) and Mr. Niraj Gautam (Treasurer of Jane Goodall Institute Nepal). If the petition is successful there will be an immediate order to stop animal sacrifice at Gadhimai. At this point, it is a race against time, and the more we do during the next 6 days the more animals’ lives will be saved. Thank you all for your support and wonderful messages of encouragement. Thanks to you, the eyes of the world are on Nepal. The AWNN Team
Posted on: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 18:50:35 +0000
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