(CHECK OUT THE NEW SHOTS FROM 2015!) There is a time of the year, just before Eid, when the distance between Jama Masjid and Red Fort in Old Delhi turns from a crowded wasteland of homeless shelters to a rare display of humans’ love for animals in all its contradictions. Herders from villages across North India bring their best livestock, including goats of all ages, shapes and sizes, to the ground to sell them for ritual slaughter. Buyers come with their entire families, and often with their personal butcher in tow, to investigate the animal’s health, and specifically their teeth, before paying from 10,000 rupees ($200 roughly) to 1 lakh ($2,000 roughly) for one. Pride is everywhere: the sellers proud of their beasts, the buyers proud of their faith, and the goats proud out of ignorance that their time is limited.

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