Animal Cruelty and Sacrifice in Religious and Mythological Tourism

Abstract

Given the growing importance of the conservation and preservation of animals and other species, the purpose of the chapter is to review the ritualistic killing and cruelty of wild and/or domestic animals in religious tourism in South Asia. Purposively, the search engine Google Scholar has been considered for searching the most cited paid and unpaid articles based on the keywords. Key themes from the literature focus on varying region-specific cruelty-conservation paradoxes for future policy issues, business scopes, and animal utilitarianism in tourism, along with new responsible and sustainable orientation have been highlighted. Also, a total of twenty-three statements derived from such reviews are verified through an opinion survey of 200 pilgrims in Hindu temple sites, keeping in view the concentration of temple sites where animal sacrifice is still in vogue. Through the factor-wise mean scores reform-oriented contemporary outlook of temple authority and priest association and socio-religious background are of immediate recommendations for the policy issues.