Due to social media’s ubiquity, the ‘Yulin festival’ gained massive attention and set #BanYulin trending since Netizens consider it as one of the ruthless practices committed against animals. Netizens were lodging online petitions to stop this barbaric practice in China.
But little did people know that Facebook has been banned in China ever since the Ürümqi riots of 2009. Despite the colossal criticism that Yulin received, China went on to butcher nearly 20,000 dogs and cats to “celebrate” this so-called festival this year.
It’s shameful that in this liberal world, where organizations such as PETA, MFA, SAFE, etc., are trying to speak for the voiceless, countries that label themselves as developed/developing do not view animals as a part of the society, thus acting all reckless about them. China is not alone in this inhumane treatment of animals.
Numerous countries perform many heinous acts against the animals and tag it as a festival. It is not a festival that should be celebrated. It is nothing to be happy or proud about.
10 Most Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals
Let’s start with a brief introduction about Yulin and proceed with the rest.
1. Yulin Festival, China (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Originally called The Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, it is celebrated in Yulin, China, which sees the slaughtering of thousands of dogs and cats. It received attention and criticism due to how the animals were treated before and during the killing.
The butchers randomly pick stray dogs and even steal pets from houses. They are then caged and starved. Further, they are beaten, boiled, and skinned alive, or the butcher slits their throats.
2. Bullfighting, Spain (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Before the official bullfighting, the bulls were confined and starved horrendously. Papers are stuffed into their ears, cotton is stuffed into the nostrils, Vaseline is smeared in the eyes, and needles are penetrated in the genitals. That is the only reason the bulls appear so aggressive in the ring. In the ring, the bullfighter (known as the matador) provokes the bull and keeps on assaulting it. In the end, the bull is killed with swords and daggers for the audience to see.
3. Gadhimai Festival, Nepal (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
This sacrificial ceremony is to please Gadhimai, the goddess of power. It is celebrated once every five years and is the biggest slaughtering festival as more than 300,000 animals are killed, including buffaloes, pigeons, goats, chickens, and pigs. After the festival is over, the bones of these animals are smuggled. It is celebrated by Madeshi and Bihari people.
4. Toro Embolado, Spain (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Toro Embolado is a festival where the bulls’ horns are set on fire. The spectators try to dodge the bull and entertain themselves till the fire goes out. The bull is then released in the streets, where it runs with rage since it is hurt. Thousands of bulls die every year due to this cruel practice.
5. Whaling, Faroe Islands (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Pilot whales are spotted by the hunters in the boats and dragged to the shore, mercilessly slaughtered. The sea turns red due to the spilling of the blood. The locals then come down to watch the whales being killed. This hunt is known as Grindadráp. It is conducted every year in the summer and is practiced by various communities.
6. Rapa das Bestas, Spain (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Rapa das Bestas means “shearing of the beasts.” It is a 400-year-old long tradition that requires horses to be brought from the forests and wrestled to the ground forcibly. Many people take down each horse, and when they put the horse down, its mane and tail are clipped by the people.
This terrifies the horses and leaves them in deep pain and agony. Later, they are released and sent back to the forests. Later on, these horses are branded with hot rods.
7. Shark Finning (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Shark finning refers to the chopping of the sharks’ fins for seafood or smuggling them as trophy species. The fins are removed from the sharks, and as they lack the mechanism to swim, they drown or are eaten by the predators. Yemen has the most significant industry of shark finning. This illegitimate industry is worth millions and millions of dollars.
8. Fox Penning and Bear Baiting (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Fox Penning is a blood sport. It involves starving wild dogs competing against each other to rip apart foxes and coyotes in an enclosed area. Since this activity occurs within a fenced area, there is no possibility of running away from the dogs.
In Bear Baiting, the bear is chained and tied to a pole, making it impossible to run away. The bear gets its claws and teeth removed. Therefore, it cannot protect itself in any way. The dogs are then unleashed on the poor creature, sure of its inevitable death. USA and Pakistan are the only countries to practice this malicious activity.
9. Phajaan (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
It is a method to tame the elephants. Phajaan translates “to crush the spirit of the elephant.” A young elephant is brought from the forests and put in a cage called the “training crush,” It is chained, sleep-deprived, starved, jabbed with spikes, hot rods, nails, and beaten with hammers and whips.
All the body parts of an elephant are tied with ropes, and it gets hit on each part. The elephant is tortured until he believes that the captors will harm him again, so it never retaliates. Due to this activity, the spirit of the elephant gets crushed. It is practiced the most in Thailand.
10. Pig Slaughter (Ruthless Practices Committed Against Animals):
Pigs and piglets are beaten to death with iron rods or swung around by grabbing their legs and smacking them against the wall until they die. They are punched and stabbed with knives. They are also hurled around the farm by their frangible limbs.
These activities are done in broad daylight, and no one is bothered by them. Instead, everyone becomes a part of them enthusiastically. We can measure how far the human race has come by treating its fellow beings, and the results depict how we have failed.
Such brutality, which is practiced against the animals, goes unheard and unpunished because they cannot speak for themselves! Had it been a human in any of the cases who suffered this way, it’d have caught eyeballs, sympathy, and immeasurable attention. Be compassionate, people! Sometimes, don’t you wish that the Earth self-destructs?
Last Updated on by kalidaspandian
Top Comments