In a bizarre incident, people were shocked to discover the bodies of about two hundred goats floating in the Chattahoochee River in the American state of Georgia. All of them had their heads cut off, sparking rumours of some ritual.
Georgia police have started investigating this matter. According to them, this matter, prima facie, seems to be related to the ‘santeria’ rituals performed by the local people. The ritual involves animal sacrifice. Environmentalist Jason Alsath told Channel 2 Action News that the sheer number of goat bodies floating in the river was shocking because normally twenty to thirty animals were sacrificed, adding that it was the first time that the figure touched nearly 200.
A video of bodies of goats floating in the river went viral recently. In the clip, a person was also seen throwing a goat’s body into the river from the bridge. According to Alsath, they hear the sound water makes when the goats are thrown into the river, adding it starts in the night and continues to the break of dawn. About 50 lakh people drink water from the river, and this could potentially cause food poisoning.
Santeria is a ritual performed in mainly West Africa. It is related to Roman Catholic beliefs. According to Santeria Priests, the sacrifice of goats signifies victory and also to wish for children. The local police are in the process of collecting these dead bodies by fishing them out of the river.
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