"If you can't walk, don't go": Video exposes animal abuse in Kedarnath; netizens express anger over mistreatment

A video posted on social media platform X on Friday shed light on an incident of animal cruelty, with users expressing their anger against pilgrims who use animals to carry their belongings during the Kedarnath Dham Yatra.

The aforementioned video showcased a donkey suffering a terrible fall under heavy load that appeared to be on its back and fell-off with the innocent animal.

Netizens have reacted sharply after watching the video, thus reigniting a social media discussion on animal abuse at pilgrimage sites.


"If you can't walk, please don't go", wrote a user who shared the video online, urging people to avoid trekking if they cannot complete the journey independently.


Other users voiced their agreement, asking people who 'cannot walk' to instead 'worship at home'.

The video has garnered more than 2 lakh views since it was posted on Friday afternoon, and is not the first calling out pilgrims who allegedly use animals to unburden themselves while taking a tough pilgrimage route.

This is not an isolated incident en route the Kedarnath pilgrimage journey.

In 2023, two separate videos showed similar mistreatment of animals in the Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.

Animal rights activists demanded strict action against the perpetrators of such abuse, with Uttarakhand police assuring citizens that stringent punishment would be given to those who hurt innocent animals.

While police action was taken back then, the same year recorded 14 such cases of animal abuse during the Kedarnath Yatra.

Animals such as horses and donkeys are usually found in mountainous pilgrimage sites, with devotees often taking their help to carry their luggage.

Activists have criticised this practise for years, asking people to stop 'hurting animals' to make their own journey easier.