Ranch’s festival of SACRIFICE skinned animals alive, probe finds

A Muslim rancher hosted an event in California that saw innocent animals skinned and tortured alive during what was supposed to be a halal slaughter, according to an animal rights group. 

Distressing footage captured the alarming moment staffers at the Shahnawaz Ranch in Perris, about 70 miles outside of Los Angeles, made ‘several’ slices to goats’ necks while they remained conscious, the organization, Animal Outlook, said in a legal complaint obtained by the Daily Mail.

The grim clip, filmed by Animal Outlook Director of Investigations Scott David, also showed the goats being kicked and pulled by their horns and legs during a public gathering for the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha on May 27, the complaint read. 

On the holiday, which directly translates to ‘Festival of Sacrifice,’ Muslims take part in a sacrificial ritual of livestock before they share the meat with family, friends, and those in need. 

The animal slayings are meant to be halal, or done so lawfully under Islamic dietary guidelines. The practice sees living livestock killed with a swift cut to the throat from a sharp tool, so the blood completely drains from their bodies. 

Animals can be stunned before they are slaughtered under Islamic law, but only if the method does not kill them before their slaying. Not all practicing Muslims believe in stunning, according to the CABI Digital Library. 

But, according to the activist organization, the ranch, run by restaurant owner Rafi Khan, did not follow proper techniques and made the goats knowingly suffer. 

A worker made ‘several slicing motions across one of the goats’ necks before another made another cut just seconds later, the complaint stated. 

Horrific footage captured goats being skinned alive and harmed during a halal slaughter at Shahnawaz Ranch in Perris, California, on May 27

The ranch (middle building), owned and operated by Rafi Khan, has been accused of harming the animals during a public gathering for the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha, a legal claim has alleged 

The investigation also uncovered that at least five animals ‘showed signs of sensibility for a significant amount of time after attempted slaughter,’ the group claimed. 

The footage, which was frequently referred to in the complaint, actively showed the goats attempting to get back on their feet, wagging their tails, shaking their heads, and making ‘intentional kicking movements,’ the legal document said. 

According to the complaint, the animals ‘exhibited signs of consciousness and sensibility for up to three minutes’ after the workers tried to slaughter them. 

The complaint also provided a lengthy list of unsanitary conditions that were found at the ranch, including that some employees were allegedly caught wearing street shoes or filthy boots on the ‘slaughtering floor.’ 

Workers also emptied ‘pans of blood’ into an exposed plastic barrel, had a live chicken present during the killings, and used a squeegee instrument to clean the blood while animals were in the process of dying or already lying ᴅᴇᴀᴅ around them, per the complaint. 

Flies also buzzed around the ‘slaughter floor’ and holding pen, the document noted.   

The in-depth complaint, which documented ’19 apparent violations of the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act’, also revealed that ‘Shahnawaz Ranch is not licensed or inspected by either the USDA or the state of California,’ Ben Williamson with Animal Outlook told the Daily Mail. 

Khan said no one from the USDA has contacted him, and the ranch has closed its doors while he tries to figure out what to do next

The undercover footage was captured by Animal Outlook Director of Investigations Scott David during a visit to the ranch 

‘It does not appear on the federal government’s list of inspected slaughter facilities, nor on California’s list of licensed operations. 

‘That means there is likely no government oversight of this facility whatsoever and no one checking whether the meat sold to the public is safe, or whether animals are being treated “humanely”,’ Williamson continued. 

Following the complaint, the ranch received a visit from the Riverside Sheriff’s Department on July 18, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

Officials issued a cease-and-desist order after neighbors complained of animals being slaughtered and a mᴀssive event taking place the night before, according to the report. 

The order cited the business for not having the proper permits to operate there, LA Times stated.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is actively investigating the business, but the agency told the Daily Mail it cannot comment on pending litigation. 

When asked by the outlet about the probe into his business practices, Khan said no one from the USDA has contacted him, and the ranch has closed its doors while he tries to figure out what to do next. 

‘We have to find a way to figure this thing out,’ he told The Times. 

He didn’t address the specific claims made against his business, but the restaurateur did share that his customers often join the slaughtering with animals they brought to the ranch, or animals they bought from him, Khan said to the outlet. 

‘People were loving it,’ he added. 

The ranch shared a message about its closure on Instagram, stating that it was due to ‘unforeseen administrative circumstance with officials’

The business has informed customers that it has ‘temporarily paused’ its operation, but will see them ‘soon,’ its Instagram bio read

The business has informed customers that it has ‘temporarily paused’ its operation, but will see them ‘soon,’ its Instagram bio read. 

The ranch’s website also takes people right to a page that tells them to enter their email so they can keep them updated while they work ‘hard to open our gates.’ 

But Williamson said the ranch should never open again, and that if it did, it would be a ‘slap on the wrist.’ 

‘This facility shouldn’t be allowed to reopen. It operated for months with no state or federal license, no inspection, and no oversight of any kind, and our investigation documented 19 apparent violations of federal humane slaughter law in a single day,’ he told the Daily Mail. 

‘A temporary pause followed by a quiet return to business as usual would be a slap on the wrist, not accountability. 

‘If regulators let it quietly resume operations after a brief pause, that tells every other unlicensed operator that ignoring food safety and humane slaughter law comes with no real consequences.’ 

The Daily Mail contacted Khan and the Shahnawaz Ranch for comment.