Prices of sacrificial animals up by 30pc: KT

It's not surprising that the price is up -- demand is increased. The author of the Khaleej Times article writes as if he is surprised that consumers don't buy less when their own increase in demand drives up price.

What is surprising is that the price of turkeys in the U.S.A. does not increase at Thanksgiving when it is traditional for American families to roast a turkey. Indeed the price sometimes even falls around that time. The difference between the cases is that frozen turkeys are acceptable substitutes for fresh turkeys, but there is no acceptable suitable for sacrifice of a live animal.