As Nepal's government awarded the first international award constituted to honour Gautam Buddha, the apostle of peace and non-violence, and peace rallies countrywide celebrated the icon's 2,555th birth anniversary, outraged animal rights activists said over 700 animals had been sacrificed Tuesday by clans flouting a tacit ban on animal killings on the day.

The Animal Welfare Network Nepal, an animal rights organization campaigning to stop animal and bird sacrifices in the name of religion, said communities once engaged as warriors had held clan worship in at least three places in Kathmandu Tuesday killing over 700 animals.