"Hunter-gatherer societies indulge in
elaborate propitiation ceremonies to appease the spirits or spirit-guardians of the
animals they have killed. Modern societies appear, superficially at least, to have
overcome their guilt at killing animals, and yet a closer examination suggests that we
might merely be hiding a deep-seated and unexamined guilt. For example, the common use of
the term sacrifice in animal research may be meaningful in this regard. In kosher
slaughter, the actual killing is performed by a holy man, the shochet, because he has the
grace and strength of character to bear the associated guilt. In Tibet, butchers are
considered outcasts." A.N. Rowan, "The Human-Animal Interface: Chasm or
Continuum?" In, M.H. Robinson and L. Tiger, Editors, Man & Beast Revisited.
Washington, D.C., 1991. p.281.