Issue Type: Abuse/Neglect

Humane Society International/Europe hails groundbreaking decision for animal protection in Romania

Humane Society International / Europe

HSI

BUCHAREST/BRUSSELS—Humane Society International/Europe is celebrating a monumental victory for animal protection in Romania today, as the Romanian Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to ban chinchilla and mink fur farming, the only two fur farm industries that exist in the country. This groundbreaking decision is the result of nearly two years of political debates and sustained campaigning by HSI/Europe’s Romania office and fellow animal groups. Romania now becomes the 22nd country in Europe and 16th EU Member State to ban fur farming, marking a significant milestone in HSI’s global campaign to end the cruel practice of breeding and killing animals for fur fashion.

Ruud Tombrock, executive director for HSI/Europe, said: “Today’s decision to ban fur farming is not only a landmark moment for animal protection in Romania, but also a pivotal step in the broader European effort to end one of the cruelest forms of exploitation of animals. As public concern for animal welfare grows across Europe, demonstrated by the overwhelming success of the Fur Free Europe ECI, it is clear that fur farming has no place in a compassionate and ethical society and the only way to move forward is by adopting an EU-wide ban on production of fur.”

The bill was originally proposed after HSI/Europe conducted a shocking undercover investigation exposing appalling conditions on fur farms in Romania. Chinchillas were filmed confined in small, filthy wire cages, only to be killed for fur fashion at just a few months old in improvised gas chambers or by having their necks broken. Now that the bill has been voted through in the Chamber of Deputies, once promulgated it will make fur farming illegal in Romania effective 1st of January 2027. Although the legislation must be promulgated by President Klaus Iohannis and published in the Official Journal to become effective, this is anticipated to pass without delay.

According to a nationwide survey commissioned by HSI/Europe, over 67% of Romanians support a fur farming ban, further emphasizing public sentiment against the fur industry. In addition, HSI/Europe’s campaign in Romania gathered more than 74,000 petition signatures in favor of ending fur farming, which HSI/Europe submitted to the Romanian Parliament.

The fur industry in Romania is in decline, with the number of fur farms having dropped dramatically from more than 150 in 2013 to around a dozen in 2022 including two large mink farms producing approximately 100,000 mink pelts and 15,000 chinchilla pelts annually. The ban in Romania also tackles the environmental and human health hazards linked to fur farming, including the spread of zoonotic diseases, positioning Romania within the broader European movement that emphasizes animal welfare and sustainable practices.

Fur facts:

  • Tens of millions of animals suffer and die each year in the global fur trade, the majority reared in barren battery cages on fur farms.
  • Fur farming has now been banned in 22 European countries—the 16 Member States of Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia plus Bosnia and Herzegovina, Guernsey, Norway, United Kingdom, North Macedonia and Serbia. In addition, Switzerland and Germany have implemented strict regulations which have effectively ended fur farming and Denmark, Sweden and Hungary have imposed measures that have ended the farming of certain species. Political discussion of a ban is underway in Bulgaria and Sweden.
  • Mink on almost 500 fur farms across 13 countries in Europe and North America have been found to be infected with COVID-19, and Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) has been found on 72 fur farms (one in Spain, 71 in Finland) to date. Millions of mink, arctic fox, red fox, raccoon dogs and sable have been slaughtered on public health grounds.
  • Ten fashion brands in Romania have pledged to go fur-free after working with Humane Society International/Europe, and have become the first designers in Romania to join the global Fur Free Retailer Ioana Ciolacu, Muse um Concept, REDU, OCTAVIA CHIRU, Katerini, Hooldra, Feeric Fashion Week, Scapadona, Axente and Lenca join the almost 1,600 fashion brands, retailers and designers in 25 countries around the world that are part of the Fur Free Retailer program, including Gucci, Moncler, Prada, Adidas, H&M and Zara.

ENDS

View images/video are available here. To download these visuals, please contact commsromania@hsi.org

Media contact: Yavor Gechev: +359889468098; ygechev@hsi.org

Humane Society International / Mexico

Hurricane Otis in Mexico
HSI

MEXICO CITY, Mexico—Today, leading animal protection organization Humane Society International launched a nationwide petition urging newly elected legislators to protect animals in Mexico’s supreme law, the Constitution. The earlier constitutional initiative by President Andres Manuel López Obrador, set to include specific provisions in art. 3, 4 and 73 of the Constitution to ban animal abuse, grant Congress powers to legislate on animal welfare and establish animal protection as a mandatory education guideline, was effectively paused by the 2024 election season. Now, Humane Society International is rallying the public to revive this crucial constitutional amendment against animal cruelty under the new government. 

Millions of dogs and cats roam the streets of major Mexican cities, suffering from cruelty, abandonment, disease and neglect. Mexico is home to billions of animals kept and killed for food, who are confined to cages or crates for months at a time, preventing them from extending their limbs or even walking, and forced to suffer in live transport and inhumane slaughter. As one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, Mexico is also a major source and distribution hub of wildlife for illicit trade; half of the wildlife trafficking seizures at US entry points originate from Mexico, which also supplies illegal markets in Europe and Asia. 

Anton Aguilar, HSI Mexico Executive Director, said: “Federal constitution-level safeguards would set a major legal precedent to prioritize animal protection in public policies, foster humane education and phase out cruel fiestas. It would reflect how social attitudes in Mexico have shifted away from cruelty and neglect towards a deep and genuine concern for animal welfare. We call on the incoming legislature, which will take office in September, to swiftly pass this consequential bill to turn Mexico into a leading example of animal protection legislation.”  

Animal protection in Mexico has emerged as a significant political focus. This commitment was solidified in 2017 when Mexico City’s constitution recognized animals as sentient beings. Most Mexican states have enacted animal protection laws, incorporating penalties for abuse into their penal codes. Bullfighting has been banned in five states, dogfighting has been criminalized nationwide, and animal testing for cosmetics was prohibited in 2021.  Moreover, President-elect Claudia Sheinbaum’s emphasis on animal protection during the presidential debate and her party’s majority position signal a promising path for a constitutional amendment securing animal protection.  

Sign the petition urging the new legislature to grant constitutional protection to animals.  

ENDS

Media contact: Magaly Garibay, +52 5538762199, mgaribay@idee.agency

Humane Society International / India

Call for better laws with stronger penalties and deterrence of cruelty for animals.

Humane Society International / Mexico

HSI

MEXICO CITY—Last month, experts in animal cruelty prevention and response from Humane Society International trained officials with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection, the Animal Surveillance Brigade, the Mexico City Environmental Attorney’s Office, Quintana Roo, Aguascalientes, and the federal and local Attorney General of Justice, among others. The trainings included topics from the principles of forensics to the search, identification, collection and preservation of evidence.

In recent months, extreme cases of animal cruelty in Mexico are trending upward, with animals killed, tortured and sexually abused by not only adults, but by children and adolescents as well. Cases like these must be treated with the greatest scientific rigor to be investigated and thus, to be able to achieve adequate sentences for the abusers.

“Eliminating violence against animals is integral to creating safer communities,” said Felipe Márquez Muñoz, animal cruelty program manager at Humane Society International/Mexico. “We hope these trainings will encourage more people to report cases of animal cruelty.”

“These types of workshops allow authorities to practice in controlled environments, based on real-world situations to hone their skills and better respond to the terrible cases of cruelty that happen every day,” said Claudia Edwards, program director at HSI/Mexico.

These trainings were in coordination with the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Natural Areas of the State of Quintana Roo, the Animal Surveillance Brigade and the Mexican Association of Forensic Veterinarians; a total of 136 people attended the trainings across four cities in Mexico.

ENDS

Media contact: Magaly Garibay: (+52 55) 5211 873, ext. 104; mgaribay@idee.agencia  

Humane Society International / Global

WASHINGTON – Sixty-five animal charities and pet shelters from across China have signed an open letter calling for compassion rather than cruelty to dogs and cats, in response to the coronavirus outbreak. News that an elderly dog in Hong Kong belonging to a COVID-19 patient has died following weeks of quarantine and testing, has raised fears of an increase in pet abandonment. Although the dog ultimately tested negative, and the World Health Organisation has made clear there is no evidence that dogs can infect humans, animal groups across China remain vigilant, with some shelters reporting higher than usual numbers of animals found wandering the streets.

Groups in Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, and beyond have appealed for people not to abandon or harm their pets, and urge local police forces and community officers not to carry out lethal culls of dogs. Last month there were a number of recorded incidents of dogs being brutally beaten to death in the street in Yongjia County, Zhejiang, and in Chengdu and Nanchong in Sichuan province. And most recently video emerged of a pet dog being roughly caught by the neck by local dog catchers outside a Shanghai apartment block, and swung through the air into a cage on the back of a truck. The local government in Shanxi, north China has also called for the closure of all pet hospitals and public dog walking.

Dr. Peter Li, China policy expert at Humane Society International which works in China alongside other animal groups to protect companion animals, said: “It is very sad news that the elderly dog in Hong Kong has passed away. It must be remembered though that he ultimately tested negative for the virus, showed no signs of illness at any point, and at 17 years old it is possible that the stress of weeks of quarantine, testing, and being separated from his owner contributed to his passing. We simply don’t know, but what we do know is that the World Health Organisation advice is clear that there is no evidence dogs can pass the virus to people. It is critical that citizens and officials alike do not over-react or respond in a way that will cause harm or injury to animals. Family pets do not deserve to be turned out on the street, or beaten, or denied exercise or access to veterinary care.”

Dezhi Yu, director of Vshine, said: “Our team has been responding to help calls from different cities where local animal lovers have taken in or have spotted abandoned dogs and cats which we suspect were not allowed to be kept in their apartments, or these might be dogs or cats released by the breeders.”

HSI has been a resource for Chinese groups in coordinating public education efforts since the COVID-19 virus broke out, as well as supporting HSI’s Chinese partner group Vshine in rescuing abandoned dogs, as well as providing food and water for dogs and cats left behind when people have been evacuated and not able to return.

Download photos and video of HSI and other groups in China assisting companion animals:

Photos: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=ChinaRescue0220

Video: https://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=ChinaPuppies022020

 

ENDS

 

Media contact:

Wendy Higgins whiggins@hsi.org

 

List of letter signatories:

Signed by:

  1. Capital Animal Welfare Association
  2. Bengbu Abandoned Animal Protection Association
  3. Dalian Vshine Animal Protection Association
  4. Social law research center of Zhejiang Sci-Tech University
  5. Animal protection research center of Shandong university
  6. Taiwan Life Caring and Animal Rescue Organization
  7. Cat and Dog 119
  8. Life Caring and Animal Rescue Organization Companion
  9. Wenzhou Happyness Work Center
  10. Red Pomegranate Stray Animal Rescue Center
  11. Miao Stray Cat Rescue Team
  12. Kuntun Small Animal Protection Association
  13. Shenyang Micro Couplet Pet Love and rescue alliance
  14. Beijing Warm House Rescue Center
  15. Changsha Animal Protection Association
  16. Zhuzhou Small Animal Protection Association
  17. Xian Small Animal Protection Association
  18. Huaibei Small Animal Protection Association
  19. Suzhou Tiantian- Baby House
  20. Xian 701 Stray Animal Shelter
  21. Qin Huangdao Small Animal Protection Association
  22. Xian Weiai Animal Protection Association
  23. Changsha Small Animal Protection Association
  24. Nantong Small Animal Protection Association
  25. Hohhot Small Animal Protection Association
  26. Harbin Small Animal Protection Association
  27. Mudanjiang Animal Protection Volunteers Association
  28. Dalian Love Animal Rescue Association
  29. Haimen Animal Protection Volunteers Association
  30. Foshan Companion animal Protection Association
  31. Zhenzhou Animal Protection Association
  32. Changchun Douwang Team
  33. Lanzhou Stray Animal Reacue Station
  34. Guilin Baby Home Stray Animal Welfare Station
  35. Jilin Small Love Stray Animal Adopt Home
  36. Liuzhou Hope Home Small Animal Protection Association
  37. Dog’s Love Group
  38. Jilin Small Love Stray Animal Rescue Center
  39. Huludao Stray Animal Center
  40. Xinjiang Changji Wangwang’s Home
  41. Gansu Pingliang Stray Dog Rescue Center
  42. Nanjing University of the Arts
  43. Sanmenxia Stray Cat Rescue Team
  44. China Pet Animal Protection Public Welfare Team
  45. 803 Ecology and Animal Protection Public Welfare Team
  46. Hohhot Qishan Animal Welfare Association
  47. Jilin Puai Action Group
  48. Jianghai Stray Animal Rescue Center
  49. Hohhot dog rescue
  50. Tianjin Yishan Stray Animal Rescue Team
  51. Lanzhou Stray Animal Love Relay Station
  52. Inner Mongolia Alxa Stray Animal Rescue Station
  53. Yantai Stray Animal Rescue Station
  54. Xi ‘an Stray Animal Protection Station
  55. Qiqihar Small Animal Protection Association
  56. Qinghai Xining Small Animal Protection Association
  57. Xining Small Animal Protection Association
  58. Urumqi Outdoor Rescue Group
  59. Zhuhai Stray Animal Rescue Group
  60. Xian Stray Animal Rescue Group
  61. Pinggu Rescue Team
  62. Zhengzhou Rescue Group
  63. Guangdong Stray Dog Rescue Center
  64. Xining Stray Animal Rescue Team
  65. Baotou Stray Animal Rescue Center

Humane Society International / Europe

Bull in a ring
Marcos Calvo Mesa/istock

Brussels – Bullfighting has returned to the Balearic Islands in Spain. The cruel spectacle, held at Mallorca’s Coliseo Balear on Friday 9th August, came in the wake of a Spanish Constitutional Court ruling that struck down legislative measures adopted by the autonomous community’s Parliament in July 2017.

Rather than explicitly banning bullfighting, the proposed amendments to the existing Balearic Islands’ Animal Protection Law introduced regulatory measures such as banning the use of sharp implements, limiting bulls to just 10 minutes in the ring and banning bull slaughter. Lawmakers adopted this strategy, which would make it more or less impossible to hold bullfights, after the 2010 Catalan bullfighting ban was annulled by a Spanish Constitutional Court ruling, which stipulated that regions do not have the autonomous power to ban bullfighting.

Humane Society International/Europe’s executive director, Ruud Tombrock, issued the following statement condemning the resumption of bullfighting in Mallorca:

“It is reprehensible that this much-disdained bloodsport is making a return to Mallorca after a two-year absence. The decision to revive the torment of bulls for public entertainment flies in the face of public opinion. It is an insult to both the Parliament of the Balearic Islands and the majority of this autonomous community’s population who strongly oppose bullfighting and did their utmost to end this anachronism. Spaniards are increasingly turning their backs on bullfighting, but – despite diminishing audiences and a decreasing number of bullfights being held – a powerful political elite doggedly continues to shore up this bloodsport by casting it as part of the country’s intangible cultural heritage.”

Facts

  • An opinion poll of Spanish citizens commissioned by HSI in 2013 showed that only 29% of Spain’s population support bullfighting (just 13% support it strongly). A total of 76% oppose the use of public funds to support the bullfighting industry.
  • In February 2016, the Balearic Islands Parliament voted in favour of a proposal to ban bullfighting and bull fiestas, which would have revised the Balearic Islands’ Animal Protection Law 1/1992 and made the Balearics the third Spanish autonomous community to ban bullfighting, after the Canary Islands and Catalonia. However, the bill came to a standstill in October 2016 when the Spanish Constitutional Court overturned Catalonia’s 2010 bullfighting ban and declared that the regions do not have the autonomous power to prohibit bullfighting.
  • In July 2017, Balearic Islands Parliament voted for legislative measures that included restrictions on the transport, origin, age and weight of bulls; a requirement for veterinary inspections; a ban on the use of sharp implements; a limit of 10 minutes of bulls ‘performing’ in the ring; a ban on the slaughter of bulls or their return to their ranch of origin afterwards; a ban on the use of horses at bullfighting events, and a ban on alcohol consumption at the events.
  • HSI supported the Mallorca Without Blood initiative, led by AnimaNaturalis and CAS International, which aimed to end bullfighting in the Balearic Islands, and was present at the Balearic Islands Parliament vote in July 2017.

Lions, tigers, zebras, camels, kangaroos, bears and many other animals to be cared for, transported and placed by HSI affiliates

Humane Society International / Canada

One of more than a hundred animals HSI is providing care for at a roadside zoo (Zoo St. Edouard) in Quebec during a Montreal SPCA Criminal Code seizure on Tuesday, May 21, 2019. The zoo operator was arrested and charged with criminal cruelty and neglect. Photo by HSI.

ST-ÉDOUARD-DE-MASKINONGÉ, CANADA – Humane Society International/Canada, Friends of HSI, and HSI global — with the generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation — are working alongside the Montreal SPCA in the seizure of animals from a roadside zoo in St-Édouard-de-Maskinongé, Quebec. The owner of the unaccredited facility, Zoo de St-Edouard, has been arrested and charged with neglect and cruelty to animals under the Canadian Criminal Code. If convicted, the accused could face a five-year prison sentence and a lifetime ban on having custody or control of any animal.

Experts from HSI’s Canadian and global affiliates will provide specialized care for more than 200 wild and exotic comprising dozens of different species as of the date of the seizure, as well as transport of all wild animals to a network of partner sanctuaries throughout North America. A number of the animals are listed on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Rebecca Aldworth, executive director of HSI/Canada, stated, “We are pleased to play a critical role in getting these deserving animals to safety, with the incredible support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation. It was disturbing to see this facility. Many of the animals were confined in dark, barren, dilapidated enclosures. Others were living with entirely inadequate shelter with minimal protection from the elements. Some of the animals did not even appear to have access to water or proper food and appeared to be suffering from a variety of medical conditions. Some of the animals were showing signs of significant psychological distress including compulsive, constant pacing. Notably, dead and ill animals have been removed or seized from this property in recent months. This case underscores the importance of strong animal welfare provisions in Canada’s Criminal Code, particularly as they apply to situations of gross neglect.”

Eric Margolis, founder of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, said, “Our foundation supports organizations that provide care for abused, neglected and abandoned animals, both wild and domesticated. We will always support the work of organizations like HSI/Canada and Friends of HSI, who defend those who cannot defend themselves.”

HSI/Canada has campaigned for over a decade to achieve meaningful improvements to the animal welfare provisions in Canada’s Criminal Code. One of the primary deficiencies in the Criminal Code is the need for enforcement authorities to prove willfulness on the part of neglectful owners before they are able to lay criminal charges and seize animals. This results in protracted suffering and can prevent appropriate application of the Criminal Code in situations of neglect.

This crucial work was made possible through the generous support of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation, which has worked in partnership with Friends of HSI and HSI/Canada for years to rescue thousands of animals from situations of cruelty and neglect.

FACTS

  • HSI has decades of experience in mass animal rescue, care and placement, including with wild and exotic animals.
  • The care, transport and placement of wild and exotic animals is highly specialized and HSI/Canada, Friends of HSI and our global affiliates will carry this work out over several weeks.
  • The roadside zoo in question has a long history of warnings and charges from the provincial government.
  • The Montreal SPCA performed its first inspection of the facility in August 2018. In addition to noting several offenses regarding the physical state of the animals and their living conditions, SPCA officers seized two alpacas in particularly poor condition as well as the bodies of four animals found deceased on site, including two tigers. This intervention led to the criminal charges.
  • The owner was charged with two counts of criminal animal neglect and cruelty, covering the timeframe 2016-2018. According to the Montreal SPCA, this is the first time in Quebec that animal welfare charges have been laid by way of indictment, a type of prosecution reserved for the most serious offenses and which opens the door to more serious penalties.

For photos and video: click here, then select “create account” at the top of the page; fill out your information, and an administrator will approve you right away. If you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to reach out to the media contact below.

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Media Contact: Christopher Paré – office: 514 395-2914 x 206 / cell: 438 402-0643, email: cpare@hsi.org

Humane Society International/Canada is a leading force for animal protection, with active programs in companion animals, wildlife and habitat protection, marine mammal preservation, farm animal welfare and animals in research. HSI/Canada is proud to be a part of Humane Society International which, together with its partners, constitutes one of the world’s largest animal protection organizations. Celebrating animals and confronting cruelty worldwide – on the Web at hsicanada.ca

Friends of HSI is a registered charitable organization working to protect animals through public education and awareness, rescue, sheltering, provision of veterinary services and other direct care programs. We are proud to be part of the Humane Society International family of global affiliates, which together comprise one of the largest and most effective animal protection groups in the world. On the Web at friendsofhsi.ca

The Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation was born out of a love of animals, humanity and nature. The foundation has been established to support and nurture these vital elements, with a threefold mandate: 1) to support organizations worldwide, who provide a natural sanctuary for abused, neglected and abandoned animals, both wild and domesticated, 2) to support the advocacy work of organizations worldwide, who rally for more stringent animal cruelty laws and subsequent penalties, and 3) to support organizations worldwide, whose main focus is to help animals, both wild and domesticated, who may be in immediate distress. Eric and Dana Margolis share a passion for animals and their wellbeing. This passion forms the basis of the Eric S. Margolis Family Foundation.

Humane Society International / India

PATNA — Humane Society International/India has joined with Bihar’s Department of Animal Husbandry, People for Animals and local organization Jag Jagran Sansthan to urge devotees of the Gadhimai festival in Nepal not to transport or sacrifice animals during the event this year in November, consistent with the order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.

The quinquennial festival has long been considered the largest animal sacrifice festival in the world; hundreds of thousands of buffalo, goats, chickens and other animals are decapitated to placate Gadhimai, the goddess of power. Following campaigns by HSI/India and PFA at the last Gadhimai in 2014, there was an estimated 70 per cent reduction in animal sacrifice. In 2015 temple authorities declared a ban on future animal sacrifice. The public awareness drive seeks to ensure that news of the ban reaches the estimated 5 million devotees expected to attend the event.

In a joint effort spanning many months and multiple languages and dialects, the organisations are running street plays, radio advertisements, billboards, and utilising local celebrity support across key districts of Bihar via which the majority of devotees travel to Nepal for the Gadhimai festival.

Arkaprava Bhar, Humane Society International/India’s regional manager for East India, said: “The decision by the Gadhimai temple committee to end the animal sacrifice should spare the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent animals. But for it to have impact we now have the huge task of making sure that the millions of people heading to Gadhimai are made aware of the temple’s ruling, and bring flowers, sweets and fruit to offer to the goddess instead of buffalo and birds. We are extremely grateful to the Government of Bihar for supporting our efforts to spread the news that the transport of animals to Nepal for religious sacrifice is illegal, and that the temple has also declared an end to this bloodshed. We hope that by watching our street theatre, listening to our radio ads, and reading our education materials, we can save as many animals as possible from a terrible and needles fate.”

The awareness drive started in early March and is now in its second phase in Muzaffarpur, bringing street plays to districts including Darbhanga, Madhubani, Supaul and Kishangan. Similar initiatives will be conducted in other districts of Bihar until October. The Government of Uttar Pradesh also joined with HSI/India and PFA earlier this year at the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious congregation, to make attendees aware of the Gadhimal festival ban on animal sacrifice.

In 2014 the Sashastra Seema Bal, the border force at the Indo-Nepal border, was increased to intercept those attempting to bring live animals for sacrifice, and in total more than 2,000 animals were confiscated.

Mr. Vinod Gunjial, director of Bihar’s Animal Husbandry Department said: “With guards at the Indian-Nepalese border, the movement of animals can be controlled. The practise of sacrifice is not only brutal but also is very stressful to watch. We hope that with all these measures, the awareness drive should leave a positive impact on devotees of Gadhimai.”

Facts:

  • The origins of Gadhimai are said to date back some 265 years when the founder of the Gadhimai temple, Bhagwan Chowdhary, had a dream that the goddess Gadhimai wanted blood in return for freeing him from prison, protecting him from evil, and promising prosperity and power. The goddess asked for a human sacrifice, but Chowdhary offered sacrifice of five animals instead, and this been repeated every five years since.
  • It is estimated that more than 500,000 animals including buffalo, goats, chickens and others were decapitated at Gadhimai in 2009, but in 2014 the numbers had reduced by 70 percent.
  • The Gadhimai temple committee’s 2015 ban on animal sacrifice at the temple was announced after rigorous negotiations with the Temple Trust members by Animal Welfare Network Nepal, PFA and HSI/India.
  • While the temple’s ban on animal sacrifice is limited to the slaughter of buffalo within the main temple arena (as the only area that comes under its jurisdiction), it has appealed top devotees to refrain from all animal sacrifice that also takes place outside of the arena.

Download images from Awareness Drive and Gadhimai 2014 here.

Media Contact: Sanjana Rao, +91 8897827214, srao@hsi.org

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