The killing of animals is animal euthanasia (for pain relief), animal sacrifice (for a deity), animal slaughter (for food), hunting (for food, for sport, for fur and other animal products, etc.), blood sports, roadkill (by accident) or self-defense.
Animal euthanasia
Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from Greek: εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of putting an animal to death or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. This is often done for domesticated livestock and house pets. It is considered ethically acceptable when performed to prevent prolonged pain or distress, often referred to as "necessary euthanasia." However, euthanasia is also sometimes employed for non-medical reasons, such as shelter overcrowding, lack of adoption, or behavioural issues. These instances raise ethical concerns, as the animal's life may be ended despite the possibility of recovery or rehoming. An increasingly recognised alternative to non-essential euthanasia is temporary fostering which offers short-term home care that helps animals recover from stress, minor health issues, or behavioural problems, increasing their chances of adoption.
Animal sacrifice
Hinduism
In Assam and West Bengal states of India and Nepal some Hindu temples sacrifice goats and chickens. Occasionally water buffalos are also sacrificed. Temples following Shakti school of Hinduism are the ones where sacrifice usually takes place. There are many village temples in Tamil Nadu where this kind of sacrifice takes place. Many animals are sacrificed during the three-day-long Gadhimai festival in Nepal. In 2009 it was speculated that more than 250,000 animals were killed In 2014, 100,000 animals were sacrificed which was a decrease from previous numbers. Animals range from buffalo to rats have been sacrificed. The temple authorities enacted a ban on animal sacrifice in 2015.
Indo-European
Horse sacrifice
Many Indo-European religious branches show evidence for horse sacrifice, and comparative mythology suggests that they derive from a Proto-Indo-European (PIE) ritual.
Islam
Muslims engaged in the Hajj (pilgrimage) are obliged to sacrifice a lamb or a goat or join others in sacrificing a cow or a camel during the celebration of the Eid al-Adha, an Arabic term that means "Feast of Sacrifice", also known as al-Id al-Kabir (Great Feast), or Qurban Bayrami (Sacrifice Feast) in Turkic influenced cultures, Bakar Id (Goat Feast) in Indian subcontinent and Reraya Qurben in Indonesia. Other Muslims not on the Hajj to Mecca also participate in this sacrifice wherever they are, on the 10th day of the 12th lunar month in the Islamic calendar. It is understood as a symbolic re-enactment of Ibrahim's sacrifice of a ram in place of his son. Meat from this occasion is divided into three parts, one part is kept by the sacrificing family for food, the other gifted to friends and family, and the third given to the poor Muslims. The sacrificed animal is a sheep, goat, cow or camel. The animal sacrifice, states Philip Stewart, is not required by the Quran, but is based on interpretations of other Islamic texts.
The Eid al-Adha is major annual festival of animal sacrifice in Islam. In Indonesia alone, for example, some 800,000 animals were sacrificed in 2014 by its Muslims on the festival, but the number can be a bit lower or higher depending on the economic conditions. According to Lesley Hazleton, in Turkey about 2,500,000 sheep, cows and goats are sacrificed each year to observe the Islamic festival of animal sacrifice, with a part of the sacrificed animal given to the needy who didn't sacrifice an animal. According to The Independent, nearly 10,000,000 animals are sacrificed in Pakistan every year on Eid. Millions of animal are brought into the Middle East from north Africa and parts of Asia and slaughter every year on Eid al-Adha. Other occasions when Muslims perform animal sacrifice include the 'aqiqa, when a child is seven days old, is shaved and given a name. It is believed that the animal sacrifice binds the child to Islam and offers protection to the child from evil.
Animal slaughter
Animal slaughter is the killing of nonhuman animals, and often refers to the slaughter of livestock. Animals may be slaughtered for humans to obtain food, and also if they are diseased and unable to be consumed as food.
Cultural and religious aspects
Halal meat
Halāl (Arabic: حلال ḥalāl, 'permissible'), also spelled "hallal" or "halaal", is any object or an action which is permissible to use or engage in, according to Islamic law. The term covers and designates not only food and drink but also all matters of daily life. There are three ways of halal killing: slitting of the throat (dabh), plunging the knife into the dimple over the breast bone (nahr), and killing in some other way ('aqr). The name of God (bismillah) must be said before killing the animal. The killing must be swift and with no prior stunning of the animal being killed. Blood must be drained out of the carcass.
Ikejime
Ikejime is a method of paralyzing fish to maintain the quality of its meat. The technique originated in Japan, but is now in widespread use. It involves the insertion of a spike quickly and directly into the hind brain, usually located slightly behind and above the eye, thereby causing immediate brain death.
Kashrut (Kosher)
Kashrut (also kashruth or kashrus, כַּשְׁרוּת) is the set of Jewish religious dietary laws. Food that may be consumed according to halakha (Jewish law) is termed kosher in English, from the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the Hebrew term kashér (כָּשֵׁר), meaning "fit" (in this context, fit for consumption). Shechita is the process of slaughtering prescribed by Jewish dietary laws.
Qurban
Qurbān usually denotes the sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday.
Shechita
In Shechita the killing must be performed by a shochet (Hebrew: שוחט). The process involves severing the trachea, esophagus, carotid arteries, jugular veins and vagus nerve swiftly with a special knife which is extremely sharp. This is done with the intention of causing a rapid drop in blood pressure in the brain and loss of consciousness, to reduce the pain felt by the animal and exsanguinate it at the same time.
Tza'ar ba'alei chayim
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