Surge in Animal Sacrifices Alarm NYC Residents

Animal sacrifices in Queens are on the rise, with chickens, pigs, and rats being subjected to severe cruelty in what are described as “twisted” religious rituals. Over the past month, several disturbing incidents have been reported in federally managed areas such as Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach and the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel.

Recent findings include at least nine injured animals or their carcasses, highlighting a troubling trend. Notable cases involve five live pigs with partially severed ears, a baby rat found in a bag with chicken bones, a freshly severed chicken head, and a dead dog with a snapped neck. Sloane Quealy, president of Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, voiced concern over the increasing frequency of these sacrifices, stating that it seems like “open season” for such acts.

In July, one particularly distressing case involved an emaciated pig found in a crate filled with food, with severe facial injuries and its body smeared with oils and spices. This pig, along with others, was taken in by Kristen Latuga of Brucie’s Angels animal sanctuary on Long Island.

The practice of animal sacrifice in the Jamaica Bay area is reportedly linked to a sect of Hindu worshippers of the goddess Kali. Acharya Arun Gossai of the Bhuvaneshwar Mandir temple in Ozone Park explained that these actions misinterpret religious texts, emphasizing that true sacrifice should be of one’s own animalistic tendencies rather than physical animals.

Jamaica Bay has long been a site for various religious practices, including those of Hindu Guyanese and Indo-Caribbean communities, who often gather to make offerings and leave religious artifacts. This area has also been used by followers of other religions, such as Santeria and Voodoo, for similar rituals involving animal sacrifices.

Despite the US Supreme Court’s 1993 ruling upholding the right to animal sacrifice on religious grounds, New York State law considers aggravated animal cruelty a felony, punishable by up to two years in prison. However, there have been no reports of animal abuse calls to the 106th Precinct covering Howard Beach.

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