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village, which was disturbed by an allegation of zoophilia involving one of its residents, held a special meeting of traditional leaders on Wednesday to find a solution to an incident believed to have desecrated the community.

The case took place last Thursday when a local man, a father of three daughters, was accused of having sex with a cow in a pasture in Sema, a hamlet in Sangsit village. The daughter of the cow’s owner was shocked when she arrived at the field and witnessed the alleged incident. She immediately alerted her father, who later brought the matter to the attention of village elders.

In the special meeting, the leaders agreed to organize a purification ritual to cleanse the village from the negative aura brought about by the case. Such rituals usually cost somewhere between Rp 45-50 million. Generally, the cost is shouldered by the offender.

Noted psychiatrist Luh Ketut Suryani, who was invited to the meeting, suggested that the cost should not be imposed on the offender.

“I hope the meeting can come up with a wise solution, one that would not put an additional burden on the community,” she added.

Prior to the meeting, Suryani had explained to the traditional leaders the importance of viewing the case from a modern health perspective. Traditional perspectives and customary law treat zoophilia as an abnormal action, a breach of the law of nature and a spiritually defiling action.

“From a modern health perspective we must examine the possibility that the person who commits such an action may have mental problems,” she added.

Suryani stated that she had interviewed the alleged culprit and concluded that the man suffered from acute depression due to economic problems.

“He remembered entering a different world, where a beautiful girl approached him and seduced him into having sex with her. That’s how he recalled the incident,” Suryani disclosed, adding that the man considered killing himself out of shame after the incident.

The leaders finally agreed that the cost of the ritual would be shouldered by the village.

“We treat the incident as a disaster for the whole village that’s why the whole village will finance the ritual,” village elder Made Subakti said.

The ritual will be held on Tuesday. The unfortunate cow, along with other sacrificial animals, will be drowned at the beach near the village in the ceremony.