Thousands of animals sacrificed in Nepal Hindu ritual amid outcry

A rooster is brought for sacrifice during the ritual before the sacrificial ceremony of the "Gadhimai Mela" festival at Bariyarpur in Nepal December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of devout Hindus thronged a temple in southern Nepal where thousands of animals and birds were sacrificed this week, amid an outcry from animal rights activists who said the ritual was a cruel and gruesome spectacle.

The ceremony, held every five years at the Gadhimai temple in Bara in southern Nepal, is believed to be the largest such mass-slaughter event in the world and animal rights activists have been campaigning to end the practice for years.