A person out for a walk with children on Friday at Glenwood Lake Park in New Rochelle came across a grisly find at the north end of the park. The group came upon a decapitated goat head place on an aluminum tray and several mutilated chicken heads. This is the second such incident in a New Rochelle park over the past week. Last Sunday, a man walking his dog came across two decapitated sheep at Ward Acres Park.
New Rochelle police responded to the scene at Glenwood Lake Park. They again called in the SPCA. NRPD later removed the carcasses.
On Friday night police roped off an area in the woods between Bergholz Drive and Glenwood Lake Park. Officers on the scene declined to provide information on what they found but removed what appeared to be a dead animal from a spot about 25 feet into the woods. Calls to the desk sergeant at NRPD were not returned.
There was also an unconfirmed reports of decapitated pigeons found in a New Rochelle cemetery.
Talk of the Sound will get further information from the SPCA and NRPD tomorrow.
UPDATE: Talk of the Sound spoke today with Captain Joseph Schaller of the New Rochelle Police Department and Ken Ross, investigator for the SPCA. Both confirmed the details of the incident as reported by Talk of the Sound over the weekend. Schaller confirmed the location was in the woods across from 57 Bergholz Drive where officers were observed by Talk of the Sound removing the goat head and chicken heads. Schaller added that the animal parts were arranged on an aluminum tray in a yellow substance which appeared to be corn meal.
Neither the NRPD or SPCA thought the persons displaying these animal sacrifices were intending to frighten or intimidate residents.
“We live in a diverse community,” said Schaller.
Ross told Talk of the Sound that while not common such instances of animal sacrifice was not unknown in Westchester.
In his line of work, Ross says he has had to acquire some familiarity with Sanataria and animal sacrifice. In some cases, the animal is sacrificed and eaten with the remains displayed in a forest or park area so the sacrifice can be seen by nature and appreciated. In other cases, the sacrifice is done to dispel some unwanted thing or attract something. Ross pointed out that the term Scapegoat relates to rituals in which a goat is literally made to leave a town or community, sometimes having “taken on” the sins of member of the community or some evil the community wishes to expel.
The BBC has a good article on Santeria which explains animal sacrifice:
The animals are killed by cutting the carotid arteries with a single knife stroke in a similar way to other religious methods of slaughter. Animals are cooked and eaten following all Santeria rituals (except healing and death rites, where the sickness is believed to pass into the dead animal). Eating the sacrificed animal is considered a sharing with the Orisha, who only consumes the animal’s blood, while the worshippers eat the meat. Sacrificial animals include chickens (the most common), pigeons, doves, ducks, guinea pigs, goats, sheep, and turtles. The USA Supreme Court has stated (Church of Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah, 1993) that it is constitutional for Santeria worshippers to kill animals for such a ritual sacrifice.
Santeria – Read about it here
Dead, mutilated animals in my area? I had to find out more. Having done a little homework, I learned something. Personally, I find Santeria a bit ” tough to swallow “, but I’ve got some knowledge about the origin of the religion, rituals and the types of sacrifices we are seeing in our area. This shed a little bit more light on the situation that is more than likey is not an action of Islam, but an action of worshipers.
The following link will bring your attention to where Santeria originated. http://bit.ly/cKDnyC “Santeria is an earth religion a pre-Christian religion. African slaves who were brought to the Caribbean from Yoruba (northwest Nigeria) Also brought this religion which became part of Puerto Rican culture. African slaves had to deal with the Christian slave owners who not only wanted to dominate them.. But also feared this religion and looked at it as a demonic primitive religion that need to be ended. The slave owners not only changed what people must worship but also what and how they would dress and speak.”
Sacrifices is a part of Santeria, Animal as well as foods and cafe…money Chances are that within your home or relative’s home, You have seen the 7 day glass candles in different colors and with pictures Of the saints. Maybe a cup with old coffee and a dish full of change. Or you light candles for your dead family since we as Puerto Ricans have What is called “ancestor worship” which can be found in the African & Taino culture. We pray to our dead for help and guidance and protection. This is Santeria and Taino beliefs and not Christian beliefs.”
“When an animal is to be sacrificed, Its done by a priest or Babalu only. We can have altars and offer food, money, coffee, but we are not to kill an animal. Animals are used only in major situations, Such as ones life is in danger or badly cursed. With all religions, there is good and bad people.. This does not make the religion itself bad but the people who use it for harm.”
Another link to find out a bit more about Santeria is bit.ly/aMHwmU
Less a Cult than one of the World’s Great Religions?
Eid ul-’Aḍḥā is this month, (This year is 1431 (Islamic Calendar): November 17 – 19 ,2010). This is the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice. Is it possible that the beheading of Sheep, Goats, and other animals is related to this Islamic Holiday?
Here are a few links: http://islam.about.com/od/hajj/a/adha.htm
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/episodes/november-12-2010/eid-al-adha/7469/
The timing makes sense, being this is the time of year for the “Festival of Sacrifice”.
The connection to Islam seems highly unlikely
The link you provide includes this:
“The meat from the sacrifice of Eid al-Adha is mostly given away to others. One-third is eaten by immediate family and relatives, one-third is given away to friends, and one-third is donated to the poor.”
I do not see anything about decapitating animals and leaving them in public parks so this would see to be more than a stretch.
It is only a possibility
I would never make the claim that my post was more than thought provoking. I have no idea who is slaughtering animals or for what reason. However if we are trying to figure out the curious case of decapitating sheep and goats we can’t discount the fact that there will be a lot of sheep and goat slaughtering going on this week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101115/wl_sthasia_afp/bangladeshanimalsreligioneid_20101115121025
That doesn’t account for the pigeons, chickens, or other strange aspects of this story. So for me the jury is still out on who or what or why, but a simple search of “ritual sheep and goat slaughtering” does lead you to this particular religious practice which is occuring this week.
It could just as easily be a psycho who is practicing on animals before he starts slaughtering people.
it appears to be Santaria
More in the update above.
Colt
Do we have a colt in New Rocheele now? Maybe the city should start charging to get in the parks overnight ? It’s sad that peole have to do such cruel things to animals.