Investigators recovered the remains of more than 500 animals after executing a search warrant Wednesday at a home in the Feltonville section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, according to the city's chapter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The group's director of law enforcement said he believes the animals -- the majority of which were chickens -- were sacrificed as part of a Santeria religious ritual.
The animals included "dozens of sheep, goats ... every type of farm animal you can think of," the Philadelphia SPCA's law enforcement director, George Bengal, said.
The SPCA believes two sets of remains are those of small primates, possibly monkeys.
Philadelphia SPCA enforcement officers were first called to the home over the weekend to tend to two emaciated dogs. The organization said that after obtaining a search warrant, its officers found the home littered with animal remains. The officers also found an AK-47, ammunition, dozens of knives and an altar with candles, the group said.
Philadelphia police were called after that, and Wednesday's search resulted.
The dogs were dirty and malnourished. They were put in protective custody after medical evaluation and treatment, the Philadelphia SPCA said.
Bengal said that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that rituals of Santeria -- a religion similar to voodoo and originated in Cuba and Brazil -- are permitted under the Constitution. But he believes these animals may not have been sacrificed humanely. If that is the case, the home's owner could be prosecuted, he said.
"It's a gray area ... a fine line," Bengal said.
The home's owner hasn't been seen for eight months but is believed to be in Mexico, Bengal said. A woman living at the home was last seen there five days ago and is believed to still be in the Philadelphia area, Bengal said.
The only rooms of the three-bedroom home without bones were the master bedroom and the bathroom, according to Bengal.
Animal sacrifices in Santeria rituals are common in Philadelphia, but this case stands out because of the number and condition of the animals involved, Bengal said.
"This place was incredible," he said.Investigators recovered the remains of more than 500 animals after executing a search... more
Irakere (Yoruba for "vegetation") is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho Valdés in 1973 that won the Grammy Award for Best Latin Recording in 1980 with its album Irakere.[1]
The group used a wide array of percussion instruments like batá, abacuá and arará drums, chequerés, erikundis, maracas, claves, cencerros, bongó, tumbadoras, and güiro.
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Consider yourself lucky listening to these shamansIrakere (Yoruba for "vegetation") is a Cuban band founded by pianist Chucho... more
A US federal court will allow a Santeria priest to resume animal sacrifices as part of his religious practice. The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower court's ruling barring the priest from sacrificing animals, in particular, goats.
Euless, Texas city officials had attempted to ban the sacrifices, claiming the practice raised public health concerns and violated slaughterhouse and animal cruelty ordinances. Jose Merced, a Santeria priest and Puerto Rico native, challenged the ban in federal court as a restriction on his constitutional right to the free exercise of religion.A US federal court will allow a Santeria priest to resume animal sacrifices as part of... more
A federal appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling on Friday that barred a Santeria priest from sacrificing goats in his Texas home, saying a city's decision to prohibit the ritual violated the man's religious rights.
Jose Merced, 46, accuses the city of Euless, Texas, of trampling on his constitutional right to religious exercise. The city claims the sacrifices jeopardize public health and violate its slaughterhouse and animal cruelty ordinances.
In its ruling, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans said the Euless ordinance placed a substantial burden on Merced's "free exercise of religion without advancing a compelling governmental interest using the least restrictive means."
"It's a great day for religious freedom in Texas," said Eric Rassbach, Merced's lawyer, in response to the three-judge panel's ruling.
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Is it a great day for religious freedom or a bad day for goats?A federal appeals court reversed a lower court's ruling on Friday that barred a... more
