Animal sacrifices to gargoyle-like statue in Bangkok alarm pet lovers

A truck had been transporting the Khru Kai Kae statue from the central Thai province Ratchaburi to its current site in the Thai capital when it got stuck under a pedestrian bridge. - Facebook

BANGKOK (The Straits Times/Asia News Network): The worship of a grotesque statue in Thailand believed to offer wealth has piqued the interest of animal rights groups after devotees have begun soliciting puppies and kittens online to use as sacrificial tributes to the deity.

The 4m-tall statue of the mythical Khru Kai Kaeo – resembling a winged Victorian gargoyle with fangs and crimson red talon-like fingernails – recently made headlines on Aug 9 when it halted traffic for around two hours, the Bangkok Post reported.