Turkish media horrified at Eid slaughter

A bull is stoned and beaten to death after trying to escape

The public sacrifice of animals marking the first day of the festival of Eid al-Adha has provoked countrywide protests in Turkey.

"The road to Europe turned into a bloodbath" - Milliyet

The Turkish media have expressed outrage that despite warnings from the authorities, hundreds of thousands of animals have been cruelly slaughtered while the country looks on.

"Shame on you" and "Stop this" were some of Tuesday's headlines.

Marking the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca, Eid is traditionally celebrated by sacrificing a sheep. But many animals are being killed in the streets, rather than government designated sites.

Such incidents on the streets do not befit the Turkey of this century

Bekir Coskun, Milliyet

The daily Milliyet published photos of the slaughter on one of the country's motorways under the headline: "This is the road to the EU, turned into a blood-bath."

The Radikal newspaper ran a banner headline on its front page saying "Open slaughterhouse".

Cruelty

Hurriyet said millions of people were sickened by the cruelty.

It listed incidents of cruelty across the country.

In the town of Bursa, one bull tried to escape from its tormenters and was rescued by the fire brigade only to be caught again and slaughtered.

Animals have been hanged from trees, pylons and even cranes

In Sanliurfa, another bull was beaten and stoned to death in the street by the whole neighbourhood.

Animals were hanged from the trees and even from electricity pylons.

In Kayseri bulls were hanged by a hind-leg from a crane.

But a ram in Izmir was luckier. He managed to run away and took refuge at the police station where he was protected.

Threat of epidemics

Worried about possible epidemics, the local authorites have issued warnings of the danger of disease, but the warnings have been widely flouted.

The media reported incidents in which parts of slaughtered animals were disposed of in the open, rather than in designated septic tanks.

A smell of rotting flesh pervades many open areas and some streets, Hurriyet said.

The animal's head is marked with henna before being sacrificed

In Adana blood and intestines were seen blocking sewers and flooding out onto the streets.

Radikal quoted Prime Minister Bulent Ecevit as saying he regretted the slaughter.

"There are scientific ways of sacrificing an animal. I want to find a solution to this problem," he said.

Several papers said that the practice created a primitive image of the country and called for end to it to create an image more befitting EU standards.

The prominent journalist Bekir Coskun of Hurriyet said: "Such incidents on the streets do not befit the Turkey of this century."

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