disembowelment

thumb|right|Disemboweling a fish during food preparation thumb|Swine inspection by USDA of disemboweled hogs Disembowelment, disemboweling, evisceration, eviscerating or gutting is the removal of organs from the gastrointestinal tract (bowels or viscera), usually through an incision made across the abdominal area. Disembowelment is a standard routine operation during animal slaughter. In ancient Rome, disembowelment of animals was practiced for divination, and was known as haruspicy. Disembowelment of humans may result from an accident, but has also been used as a method of torture or execution. In such practices, disembowelment may be accompanied by various forms of torture or the removal of other vital organs.

==Dressing of animals== thumb|Deer hunting|Deer hunter in the state of Michigan in the [[United States field-dressing a deer]] thumb|Men cleaning, dressing, gutting and cutting chickens in the Philippines The removal of internal organs is a typical operation in meat processing also known as dressing. Land animals and birds are typically killed and bled before the dressing. The process of dressing includes the removal of heart, liver and lungs (pluck) as well as disembowelment by an abdominal cut. Disembowelment is typically accompanied by bung dropping or bunging. Bung dropping is the circumcision of the rectum from the carcass and is the first step of the gutting. Puncturing of bowels are avoided during the evisceration. Otherwise, bacteria from the intestinal contents might spread over the carcass. In case of birds, the abdominal cut extends up to the cloaca separating it from the rest of the skin.