In the run-up to the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, Karachi car-wash owner Sheikh Sagheer sees much of the traffic at his business switch from four wheels to four legs.
Locals bring him their cattle, sheep and goats for a thorough scrub down ahead of the animals’ sacrifice during the three-day holiday, which begins today in Pakistan.
Sagheer, 42, said the cow wash started when he was spotted cleaning his sacrificial animal ahead of Eid after opening his business a few years ago.
Photo: AFP
“The people who saw me washing the animal came to me with their own ... that’s how this trend started,” Sagheer said.
Many of the animals come from a huge market on the outskirts of Karachi — reputed to be the largest Eid cattle bazaar in Asia — that is packed with goats, cows, bullocks, sheep and camels.
The creatures are often dirty, dusty and speckled with dung after being transported and then packed together at the market.
Sagheer charges 100 rupees (about US$0.60) for a wash — which includes a soak with a pressure hose, a lather with suds, a scrub and a rinse.
“The charge is 100 rupees, which is nothing,” said Mohammad Uzair, who brought in a large gray cow for a wash.
Across Pakistan, between 8 and 10 million animals are sacrificed over Eid al-Adha, the Pakistan Tanners Association said.
Sagheer said cleanliness is especially important because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I make it a point to sanitize the animal with disinfectants,” he said.
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