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A shelter for the needy

Stray Animals
Last Updated 10 June 2013, 14:04 IST

There are always good Samaritans in the City who go out of their way to help injured or homeless stray animals they come across — be it abandoned kittens, puppies or pigeons with broken wings. But while it is a kind gesture to take up this responsibility out of one’s own consideration, not everyone knows what to do in these circumstances.

Some individual efforts don’t go unnoticed. Jayaprakash Satyamurthy is one individual who is often approached by citizens when it comes to rescuing homeless animals. “Word’s somehow gotten around that my wife and I take in animals that have been in accidents, are lost or abandoned. At the moment, we are sheltering more than 40 cats and we try to rehabilitate as many as we can. But the rate of adoption isn’t as high as the rate of abandonment,” he informs. He adds, “We’re trying to fill in gaps in the existing animal welfare efforts. We want to form a trust to make the process more organised and sustainable.”

Another option is to adopt the animal and give it a home. Karn Kaul, a professional in the City, recalls how he adopted two kittens, Merry and Pippin, whom he found in a hardware store in Koramangala. “When an organisation puts up notices about adoptions, they get many takers for the animals. But who on earth would have known about two month-old kittens living in a hardware store? I saw them and knew that I couldn’t leave them behind. The owner was overjoyed at the prospect of getting a good home for them. He was worried that they might be killed by dogs, just like one of their siblings was, a few days before I adopted them,” he says.

“They weren’t injured but they had a bad case of worms and were really skinny, tiny and scared of everything. Like with most cats, their mother had lost interest once the kittens stopped weaning,” he adds.

If adoption isn’t a possibility, taking them to organisations like Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) or People For Animals (PFA) are options worth considering.

“I once rescued a stray puppy that was run over by a car in Jayanagar Fourth Block. His rectum was out and I rushed him to the CUPA animal care clinic in RT Nagar,” shares Abijith Rao, a sound engineer. “I checked up with them regularly after the incident and found out that he was doing fine. Though he died after a couple of months, it was quick action taken by them and their dedication to the cause was commendable,” he adds.

In fact, there is no dearth of animal shelters and hospitals in the City. Organisations like KRUPA Animal Hospital and Shelter, Voice of Stray Dogs and Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre among many others, working round-the-clock for the cause, stand testament to this fact.

‘Let’s Live Together’, for instance, works at the adoption of Indian (not foreign breeds) street dogs.

   “We rescue newborn puppies off the streets that have lost their mothers. At that age, they can’t survive alone and we feed them, incubate and look after them till they’re about a month old. Then, they’re given to foster families to be taken care of till we find them a good home,” informs Achala Paani, founder.

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(Published 10 June 2013, 14:04 IST)

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