Today is Eid Ul-Adha. On a day in the US, this Muslim holiday would have little to no impact on my daily routine. Today, however, was a special day. I visited Sugarcane Feeds Centre, a government farm in the Chaguanas area of Trinidad. I learned shortly before leaving the vet school that the facility has an abattoir and that we may witness some slaughtering of animals. This fact didn't dissuade me from wanting to visit, but it didn't exactly put more bounce in my step either. We arrived at the farm and the first thing we did was get dressed in aprons and caps. Our tour was to begin with the sacrifice of a bull. It took about 15 men to control this animal. I was stunned by my first animal sacrificing experience. The bull had to face east to Mecca and prayers were said before its sacrifice. I was both honored and traumatized by the experience. I may have to lay off the beef for a bit.

The students inspected all of the major organs of the bull. For Eid Ul-Adha, the bull is divided and shared so it is important to ensure that the quality of the meat is high. Upon inspection, the students concluded that the kidneys and a small part of the lungs should be discarded. Men quickly moved in to portion out the animal. The students also examined the head of the bull. I'll leave those pictures out of this posting, but it was really cool to see (and feel). Sheep and goats were also sacrificed. They were a little easier to watch.

Touring the farm was pretty anticlimactic after the abattoir visit. There were some beautiful buffalo, and I did see a new bird! The Purple Gallinule was in a marsh at the far end of the farm. I thought it was the Wattled Jacana at first, but the colors are very different.

I have made little progress on my PPT for Friday! With the help of Dad, Uncle Lincoln, and my cousin Melanie, I should have 50 questionnaires filled out by the end of tomorrow. That will have to do for Friday. I can try to get more for the actual presentation.


Downtown Chaguanas. Notice the no vending sign surrounded by street vendors.


Brown buffalo


Sweet close-up of the Chachalaca. Not sure why they are at Sugarcane Feeds Centre.