Raised on the roof: Karachi’s sacrificial bulls

KARACHI: A crowd gathers in front of the four-story residence of Ajaz Hasan in Karachi’s Nazimabad neighborhood. Above them a crane lowers its cargo from the rooftop: a live bull. 
For the past decade, Hasan has used the space afforded by his building’s rooftop to raise bulls that will be slaughtered and eaten during Eid celebrations. But Sunday was a particularly special occasion as the bulls sported the national flag on their horns in honor of Pakistan’s Independence Day, which falls on Tuesday. 
As the crane arrives, residents pour out onto the street or dash to their windows to watch this unusual but interesting exercise. 
“I would always purchase a baby bull and raise it to sacrifice on Eid Al-Adha,” Hasan told Arab News. “But there is no longer enough space at street level to keep bulls, so, 10 years ago, I had the idea of using the rooftop instead.
“That first time I raised a bull on the roof, I realized I’d need a crane to get it down, and that attracted a lot of attention,” he continued.
This year, Hasan raised seven bulls for sacrifice at Eid-al-Adha. “We don’t just feed them grass, like most cattle,” he added, explaining that his bulls are “special” and receive “special feed.”