7 Ways Religion And Superstition Have Led To Animal Cruelty

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The list below contains 7 Ways Religion And Superstition Have Led To Animal Cruelty, though some are no more in practice.



The aye-aye—a tiny creature found in Madagascar—is a harmless mammal that the people of Madagascar have rendered endangered due to their beliefs that it is an evil animal.
This is due to the fact that it has a long middle finger. — an evolutionary tool used to snatch insects inside tree bark and branches — but superstitious and paranoid natives don’t see it that way.

The people believe that the aye-aye pointing its middle finger toward a human means certain doom. They believe these creatures will crawl into their homes at night and use those long, pointy fingers to stab them in the heart. in lieu of this If a Malagasy native sees an aye-aye coming toward them they’re very likely to kill it instantly.


Thousands of male dog are slaughtered every year in sacrifice to the iron god Ogun, in a ritual led by an Ogun high priest.

According to Ogun worshippers, partaking in the ritual is very crucial as it ensures an auspicious year ahead.


In Nigeria, most people believe witches can turn into any animals or insects; particularly, ants, rats, bats, but mostly cats and walk around at night to inflict harm on people.

Because of this belief when people see a Cat particularly at night or in dark corners they automatically conclude that it is a witch on a mission – a mission to kill, destroy or harm. And most times they end up stoning it to death.


Shaktism s a sect of Hinduism that focuses on the worship of the Hindu Divine Mother along with various consorts of Shiva and Vishnu.

One of these forms is the goddess Kali, consort of Shiva. The goddess is known to favor animal sacrifices— goats in particular. Killing a goat in her name is believed to relieve one of negative emotions such as fear, anger, and jealousy.


Shaktas conceive the Goddess as the supreme, ultimate Godhead, she is considered to be simultaneously the source of all creation, as well as its embodiment and the energy that animates and governs it.


It is a common practice for Muslims to kill rams during their festivals. Especially during Ed-El-Kabir -a celebration Muslims all over the world observe- the celebration is done at the end of the holy pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (Hajj).

Every Muslim who can afford to, kills a ram on Ed-El-Kabir and shares the meat with family, friends and the less privileged.


In fact, it is compulsory for all adults and working Muslims to kill rams during this festival.

According to some estimates, as many as 100 million animals are slaughtered across the Muslim world during Eid-el-kabir.



Gadhimai festival is a sacrificial ceremony that is held every 5 years at the Gadhimai Temple of Bariyarpur in Nepal.

The festival involves the large scale slaughter of animals including water buffaloes, pigs, goats, etc with the goal of pleasing Gadhimai, the goddess of power.

The religion is so popular that a month before the ritual in 2009, madheshi politicians began a radio campaign urging farmers to sell their animals when they realized there would be a “severe shortage” of goats for the ritual sacrifice, as well as for the consumption of goat meat during the festival.

It is estimated that about 500,000 animals were sacrificed during the Gadhimai festival of 2009.

The practice of slaughtering animals has been banned though, thanks to the pressure heaped on the government by animal rights activists.


It is a common practice for every family to slaughter a chicken or two during Christmas, especially in Africa.

It is estimated that in Africa alone, about 100 million chickens are killed every December 25 in celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ… Now do the maths, if more than 100million are killed in Africa alone I wonder how many are killed around the world

Uzonna Anele

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