Assessment of Animal Welfare and Handling Procedures in the Slaughter of Sacred Animals During Eidul-Adha in Samarinda City

The term "Qurban," originating from Arabic, denotes "close" and constitutes one of the annual religious rituals practiced by Muslims, involving the ritual slaughter of various livestock, including camels, goats, cows, sheep, and buffaloes. Nonetheless, concerns have arisen regarding the welfare and comfort of these animals during the slaughtering process. This research aimed to investigate welfare-oriented procedures employed in the slaughter of sacrificial animals and to identify and analyse the stress factors affecting them. The study was conducted across nine mosques in nine sub districts in Samarinda city on July 10-11, 2023, and involved a sample of 115 slaughtered cattle. The observational indicators included instances of falling and slipping, vocalization, states of consciousness and unconsciousness, and duration until death. The findings revealed that 36.52% of the animals experienced falls or slips, their vocalization levels reached 15.65%, surpassing the anticipated threshold of 5%, consciousness and unconsciousness indicators were observed in 56.09% of the cases, and the longest duration until death fell within the range of 10-12 minutes. These findings highlight a lack of consideration for animal welfare during sacrificial animal slaughtering practices in Samarinda city mosques.