Goats on the soccer field

There are goats on the soccer field.

Goats on the street.


Goats on the sidewalk.

And most especially, goats at the mosque.

It's kind of fun having all this livestock around in super-urban Jakarta. But the fun has an expiration date, as do the goats.

Dec. 31 is Idul Adha, which commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son (Isaac, according to Jews and Christians, but Ismail according to Muslims). You may recall that in the end he sacrifices a sheep instead. So for Idul Adha, people who can afford a goat, sheep or cow are supposed to buy one, have it slaughtered, and share the meat with friends, family, and the poor.

An estimated 73,000 animals will meet their end on Idul Adha. The city has called for them to be killed at slaughterhouses rather than mosques. But some clerics have said there aren't enough slaughterhouses to do the work. Since so many goats are gathered at the mosque on our street, I assume they'll be dispatched there ... so I guess I'll avoid that end of the street tomorrow.