Photos: See This barbaric Festival in Nepal where a live goat is Torn APART by villagers' With Bare Hands

 A cultural festival in Nepal during which a live goat is ripped apart by villagers using their bare hands and teeth has sparked outrage among animal rights campaigners.

The Deopokhari festival is held every year in August, in the village of Khokana, one of the oldest villages in the Kathmandu Valley in central Nepal.
The 900-year-old festival is a celebration of the culture of the Newari people, the indigenous people of the area around the Kathmandu Valley, and features traditional dancing, music and food.
But animal rights campaigners have branded the celebration ‘barbaric’, as part of the ceremony sees a young female goat brutally sacrificed.
The five or six-month-old goat is hurled into the Deu pond close to the Rudrayani temple at the centre of the village, followed by nine young men who jump into the pond and begin to tear at the goat with their hands and teeth.

They continue to bite, pull at and strangle the goat until it is torn apart, and the man deemed to have eventually killed it is permitted to lead the year’s procession.

Nepalese organisation Animal Welfare Network Nepal has been spear-heading a campaign against the festival for years, and has succeeded in rallying international support in its struggle.  

‘Animal Welfare Network Nepal condemns the act of sacrifice in the festival and is continuously raising its voice against animal cruelty,’ said a spokesman for the AWNN campaign group.

World-renowned animals rights charity PETA has joined the AWNN in its campaign, highlighting the damage that the 'uniquely savage and disgusting' festival does to Nepal's international reputation. 

The charity's UK director Mimi Bekhechi, said:

'The Khokana festival demonstrates only obliviousness to world opinion, disrespect for life and an almost uniquely savage and disgusting display of cruelty. 

'There are few living beings as gentle and defenceless as baby goats, the victims of this barbarous act.'  

Ms Bekhechi continued: 

'Images of terrified kids [baby goats] being attacked and drowned as they bleat and struggle for their lives hurts Nepal's reputation internationally and certainly damages the tourist trade.

'We urge the majority of people in Nepal, who are no doubt kind and caring, to join the international clamour to end these barbaric rituals.' 

Shocked members of the public from across Europe and Nepal have launched a number of online petitions on websites such as Change.org, calling on the Nepali Congress Central Office to ban the practice.

The largest has been signed by more than 53,000 people, while several others have received more than 5,000 signatures each.
‘No one can adequately explain why this practice is carried out year after year – except to say that it is ‘traditional’,’ said Geoff Knight, who launched the original petition.

‘Such a cruel and vicious act inflicted on an animal has no place in a civilised society and should be banned immediately.’
Nepalese national Bidhata Singh, who has also set up a petition against the sacrifice, added:
‘The experience of the goat is excruciating. Every year in Nepal animals are sacrificed in the name of religion or tradition, which is totally devilish, immoral and mad.’

This is so so not cool, they should have tried it with a six months old Lion or tiger not an animal as gentle as a goat.
See more photos below!! This is so so not cool, they should have tried it with a six months old Lion or tiger not an animal as gentle as a goat.
See more photos below!!

See video below!

Daily Mail