Come Eid-al-Adha, and goats are butchered in the thousands. Mercilessly. But in Bhopal, before the knives came down, many of them were given special treatment that includes spa, body massage, shampoo, hair glossing, etc, at the government veterinary hospital, all depending on what the owners were ready to cough up.
At Rs 300, it was a hot shower, and Rs 3,000 ensured a complete package treatment. A through medical check-up was also done on all the goats.
Senior veterinary doctor Dr Anil Sharma said the spa treatment keeps the goats healthy. “We remove dead skin and ticks from the goats” which otherwise can contaminate the meat.
For owners, it is all about bonding.
“I am giving spa treatment to my goat to relieve his stress and increase his blood circulation. It also increases our bonding with the goat,” said Akbar Khan, a Bhopal resident.
The spa centre in the veterinary hospital was started for domestic pets and mostly dogs and cats were the favoured customers. But since last year, goats have been brought for the special treatment.
“At least 3,000 goats have come to the spa in the last one month or so. On Friday, a day before Eid, the number has increased a lot,” says Dr Raveena Fid.
{{/usCountry}}“At least 3,000 goats have come to the spa in the last one month or so. On Friday, a day before Eid, the number has increased a lot,” says Dr Raveena Fid.
{{/usCountry}}The Bhopal municipal corporation (BMC) has set up 200 spots in the city for the sacrifice. A team of doctors stood prepared to check the goats before sacrifice while another team was present to clean the blood and residue.
According to BMC estimates, at least 10,000 goats would be butchered on Eid.