The animal sacrifices were made to the gods so that the gods would influence nature to help them. They believed that when things were going bad for them such as crops not growing, or rain not falling for an extended period of time, it meant that the gods were angry. In order to please them, the Mesopotamians would sacrifice an animal in the name of their gods to please them. They believed if the gods were happy they would influence nature to help produce food in their lands so that they can harvest and survive.
