Nepal celebrates 'Kukur Tihar' dog festival
STORY: At a dog shelter in Lalitpur, a city on the outskirts of the capital Kathmandu, volunteers, residents and tourists took part in "Kukur Tihar", a ceremony which takes place on the second day of a five-day Hindu festival devoted to animals associated with Yamaraj, the god of death and justice.
“On the day of the Festival of Dogs, I want to convey the message that humans should show compassion and love to dogs and feed them as much as we can,” said Lalitpur Mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan, after honouring the paralysed dogs of the Sneha Care animal shelter, where festivities took place.
The tradition originates in Nepal, where street dogs are prevalent and dog welfare is struggling. “There are around 170 dogs in our shelter, including dogs that have been abandoned. Today they are worshipped, but the next day they are being left. If they get sick, people leave them,” Sneha Shrestha, the owner of the shelter, told Reuters.
