More than 35,000 people were admitted to hospitals for injuries throughout four days of the Qurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha) when the Muslim faithful are obliged to slaughter sacrificial animals.
The Health Ministry said that 35,292 people were treated for cuts, bruises and other injuries stemming from their attempt to slaughter animals. The highest emergency room admissions were recorded on the first day of the holiday on Sunday at 29,582. Istanbul had the highest number of injured butchers at 2,948.
Every year, hundreds of people fill emergency wards across Turkey during Qurban Bayram for slaughter-related injuries. These "amateur butchers," as they are dubbed by the local media, suffer cuts to their hands and legs, especially when animals, sensing the impending threat, get out of control and kick and butt their cleaver-wielding owners. Apart from those incidents, would-be butchers spend their bayram pursuing flustered bulls and sheep seeking to escape their inevitable end.
