Buddhist ritual in China resulted in mass death of cats

In China, the traditional Buddhist ritual of "releasing life" resulted in the mass death of cats.

As reported by BAKU.WS, according to the South China Morning Post.

It is worth noting that the purpose of the "release of life" ritual is to release animals into the wild as an act of compassion. However, this time the practice ended in tragedy.

The incident occurred in the southern province of Guangdong. According to SCMP, a group of religious activists released more than 1,100 animals near the Yingzui reservoir. They were transported in cages on two trucks.

"When the cages were opened, many cats became frightened. Some of them began to climb trees, while others jumped into the water, from which they could not escape due to exhaustion and drowned," the text states.

It is noted that paddleboarders and local residents tried to save the drowning animals, but they were only able to help a few. Moreover, animal welfare volunteers arrived at the scene the next day, but most of the cats were in critical condition or already dead.

According to the police, ten people participated in the ritual, and no signs of crime were identified in their actions, as they had conducted similar actions before. However, the public disagreed with these conclusions, accusing the participants of cruelty and hypocrisy, while animal rights activists demanded stricter control over such practices.