The Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) yesterday slammed the Master Chingshui Temple in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽) for holding a “divine pigs” contest and ritual sacrifice, saying that it is the only temple of its kind that still employs the “inhumane” practice to celebrate the birthday of the Taoist monk, which falls on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year.
The organization said this year’s top prize-winner is a boar of up to 715kg — six to seven times larger than an average swine.
Due to excessive force-feeding by their owners, such pigs’ legs become deformed, crippling the animal, the group said.
Photo: Chang An-chiao, Taipei Times
EAST director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said the temple yesterday morning tied the legs of five “divine pigs” selected during the contest, before butchers plunged long blades into their throats as the animals squealed and died.
She said that followers of the faith remain adamant about using these pigs as sacrifices, saying that the ritual is to be carried out by strictly adhering to the routine of choosing the fattest pigs and slaughtering them in accordance with local customs, in hopes of obtaining good fortune.
“I do not believe that any Taoist deity, be it Master Chingshui, celestial warriors or the Mountain God of Yuanshan (鳶山) would be willing to accept an overweight, paralyzed, knocked-out pig that died painfully after its throat was slit,” she said.
Photo: Chang An-chiao, Taipei Times
Even though the temple has distanced itself from the event, saying followers of Master Chingshui organized it on their own initiative, Chen said temple administrators handed out prize money, certificates and lanterns to the owners of the winning pigs.
Exacerbating the matter, representatives from local farmers’ associations and politicians also conferred award certificates to the participants, she said.
Government officials who took part in distributing awards included Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chih-hsiung (黃志雄), KMT New Taipei City Councilor Hung Chia-chun (洪佳君), independent New Taipei City Councilor Chen Shih-jung (陳世榮) and Sansia District Office Director Yang Chih-hung (楊志宏), she said.
She urged politicians to concern themselves more with social issues and people’s livelihood and to stop giving out award certificates that encourage animal cruelty.
She said that her organization has advocated against “divine pig” contests for more than a decade and that many Taoist believers have opted to use fruit, flowers, rice vermicelli and rice balls as sacrifices while worshiping Taoist deities.
“[Taoist] deities are benevolent by nature. We believe that the right way to show respect for them begins with showing respect for lives,” Chen Yu-min said.
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