The Department of Livestock Services has reported that more than 9.1 million animals have been sacrificed in the country for this year's holy Eid-ul-Azha.
The government agency announced this information in a press release on Tuesday.
According to department data, 9,136,734 animals were sacrificed. Among these, 4,705,106 were cows and buffaloes, and 4,430,668 were goats and sheep. Additionally, 960 other animals were sacrificed.
The Department of Livestock Services, under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, is primarily responsible for calculating the number of animals sacrificed during Eid.
The department stated that this year's count was based on data collected through stratified random sampling.
The calculation was made by collecting at least 1% of samples from three villages (small, medium, and large) in each upazila.
This year, there were 3,310,603 unsold sacrificial animals.
The department explained that this was due to a higher production of sacrificial animals this year. Therefore, it said, it is not unusual for animals to remain unsold.
"Furthermore, these unsold animals will be needed for various rituals and ceremonies in the future."
This year, the lowest number of sacrificial animals was offered in Sylhet division, totaling 319,823.
Following that, Mymensingh division saw the second lowest number, with 383,162 animals sacrificed.
The highest number of sacrificial animals was offered in Rajshahi division, reaching 2,324,971 cattle.
Dhaka division followed with the second highest number, at 2,185,040.
In Chittagong division, 1,753,732 cattle were sacrificed. Khulna division recorded 804,224 cattle sacrifices.
Barisal division had 400,783 cattle, while Rangpur division saw 964,999 cattle sacrificed.
