If you're still eating your breakfast burrito, you may want to skip this one: Chicken heads, feet, and "the entrails of a large animal" have been revolting visitors to Prospect Park in recent weeks, and no one knows who's behind the butchery. Most of the remains have been gathered at one spot near the lakebed at the southwest corner of the park, and at least eight chicken heads were recently found, plus intestines and chicken feet. "It was so gross," local Susan Yuen tells the Brooklyn Paper, in an article packed with great quotes. "I saw a chicken head, it started to smell as [a Parks employee] pulled it all out of the water!"
Animal Remains in Prospect Park: Santeria or Just Butchery?
Now Who's Sacrificing Chickens in Brooklyn?
Oh dear. A reader just sent in the above photo and tells us, "On my way to work this morning, I spotted a sacrificed chicken on the steps of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception at the corner of Maujer and Leonard in Williamsburg." Clearly it's not for Kapparot. This leaves a few other options: Santeria, an offering from the nearby Cult of Michael Jackson, Twilight marketing.
Are Goats Wandering By Hutch Escaping From Santeria Sacrifices?
When we reported Tuesday that a fourth sick, emaciated goat had been found wandering in the area of Pelham Bay Park near the Hutchinson River Parkway in the Bronx, one commenter provided a possible explanation for the mystery: "These goats aren't 'escaping' from anywhere. they're the victims of Santeria sacrifice that regularly takes place in Pelham Bay Park." Indeed, locals have long reported seeing candles, fruits and animal bones and skulls in the area.
Chicken-Killing Kapparot Ritual Coming This Sunday
With Yom Kippur coming up this Monday, South Williamsburg will be the stage for many a sacrificial chicken slaughter on Sunday. The Jewish ritual known as kapparot raises eyebrows each year, and now Dr. Allan Kornberg, Executive Director for Farm Sanctuary, has released a statement.

