Pig Slaughtering Festival

Your votes on petitions helped save pigs and buffalo from ritualistic public slaughter. Both these animals form part of traditional festivals in Vietnam – until recently that is. Now, these animals can enjoy a more humane life and not form the main attraction at public festivals. And it’s all thanks to people who take the time to sign online petitions.

Traditions Come Under Fire

Pigs have always formed part of Vietnam’s Nem Thuong Pig Festival held at the Vietnamese new year. At this festival, pigs were being brutally slaughtered at public gatherings. Animal activists in Vietnam began a petition against this brutal ritualistic killing. 

But what happened next left everyone speechless. Ongoing protests and surveys revealed that most Vietnamese residents don’t think the ritualistic killing of ANY animal forms part of their society anymore. So many people believe this that the government was forced to act.

[Images of the notorious Pig Slaughter Festival in 2015]

But taking action took quite some time. Not all the Ministers had the same views. Slowly but surely they were each convinced in their own time. In 2015 a Member of Congress suggested putting an end to festivals that hurt animals. A Minister and Office Chairman said that these rituals don’t form part f civilized society. And in 2016 the Prime Minister finally put the public order out that outlines how and why all animal sacrifice and cruelty should come to an end.

First in Last Out

Even though the Pig Festival started this miraculous change in Vietnam – it was the one that resisted the change the most.

The Buffalo Fighting festivals in Phuc Tho (Hanoi), Phu Son (Bac Ninh province), and Bao Thang (Lao Cai province) were stopped immediately. Unfortunately, the Buffalo stabbing festival in Buon Don said it was ending, but it was reported to have more private killings. It’s known for sure that the Nem Thuong Pig Festival went ahead that year, but kept its killings more private.

These days there aren’t many reports on the festival that included catching a terrified pig, tying it down, and then cutting its neck to rub money in the blood – for good luck. Here’s a video that’s too gross to finish watching:

If you didn’t click the play button – rest assured, the footage is from 2012. There are some horrific videos of pig slaughter from as late as 2020- but all these are private incidents – and it isn’t always clear if it’s ritualistic or just a lack of education on proper killing practices that’s the problem. Some people in Vietnam might own pigs and kill them, but they aren’t sure how to do it in a humane way. 

More Education

There’s definitely a need for more education regarding the humane slaughter of animals in all parts of the world. Vietnam’s government might have issued a document about it, and banned ritualistic slaughter, but the truth is, a lot of animals across the world are still killed in stressful and often brutal ways.

[The Buffalo Stabbing Festival in Lam Dong has ended thanks to education and awareness]

It might seem strange to the global community, but some cultures have always done things a certain way, and they don’t understand why it’s wrong. Just like Vietnam’s government took years to come to the decision – the people in places that still do ritualistic slaughtering need to learn about what it actually means to the animal. The more people understand, the more humane they will start to treat these animals – even when they’re killing them.

That’s why we still need the petitions and sharing. We still need to create awareness like this video aimed at cleaner slaughterhouses:

It might not address humane killing, but it’s a step towards education on 

Small Steps

The end of the brutal killing of animals as part of festivals is coming to an end in Vietnam, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. More rural areas, and even other countries, still need ongoing support to help educate people on the humane treatment of animals. 

But what happened in Vietnam just goes to show what a big difference one small petition can make. Thanks to the continued efforts of animal activists, education centers, and even people that sign online petitions, just like you – a difference is being made.

These small steps all work together to make gigantic leaps for the rights of animals. Nobody started out petitioning against all inhumane animal slaughter in Vietnam, but that’s where that one petition got the country. Thousands if not millions of animals have a better life in that country now. And awareness is still spreading – all thanks to the people that spoke up for the pigs in 2015.

In the animal activism community, every voice counts – whether it’s your signature on a petition or the animal that’s being abused. Keep using your voice to create more good in the world – the animals thank you.