The four-legged friends need your help
“Dogs and cats are not carriers of the COVID virus. Instead, they’re stress-busters for the elderly and children while staying put at home. It is also important to see that dogs in our neighbourhood don’t starve and suffer in silence. An act of kindness to them even in our difficult times is what would make us noble. Together we can all live another day,” adds Mourya.
CHALLENGES AT HAND
That is not to say that everything is hunky-dory for the humans who want to help our four-legged friends either. Feeders and activists are facing obstructions when it comes to them feeding the animals.
Aanchal Khanna, an animal activist and part of the Work for Animals Programme, has started making smaller groups who can cater to the needs of animals, area-wise, during this lockdown period. Each group has four to five members who take turns to go out and feed the stray animals near their residence. “As of now, we have seven groups, and each person in a group looks after only one road so that the same animals are not fed twice. Moreover, we can cater to more animals in this manner,” says Aanchal who personally goes out thrice in a day to feed at different times slots. “At present, we only focus on providing one meal and water to the animals daily so that they survive.”
However, challenges are plenty especially given the lockdown situation. “The police personnel and daily-wage workers near where I live are supportive of our initiative, but in some housing societies my fellow group members are facing a tough time explaining to the residents why they need to step out to feed the animals despite the lockdown,” laments Aanchal.
DOING IT RIGHT
Even the feeders have been taking extra caution while stepping out, adhering to the rules set out by the Government. Deven Baheti, another animal rights activist, has volunteers working in groups, each covering their localities, who go out to feed the strays early in the morning and once at night. The volunteers carry gloves and sanitisers and wear masks for safety and have “feeder passes” from various organisations that grant them permission to feed the strays.
“As it is hot outside, I make sure we give the animals more liquids and curd rice,” says Deven who tells us that he feeds all the dogs in his colony every day.
“Our indie dogs have amazing immunity, and they are very happy with curd rice, rotis and bread. We also put out water bowls in areas and refill them every day, sometimes twice in a day.”
Dogs and cats are not carriers of the COVID virus. Instead, they’re stress-busters for the elderly and children while staying put at home. It is also important to see that dogs in our neighbourhood don’t starve and suffer in silence. An act of kindness to them even in our difficult times is what would make us noble. Together we can all live another day — Mourya Boda, Chairperson, Brilliant Biopharma Private Limited and Healthier Animals Safer World
In this situation when the entire country is on a 21day lockdown, animals and birds suffer a lot. With no humans around, or hotels open, the street animals and birds are starving. I place fresh food and water twice a day outside my building and it is so satisfying to see my hungry furry kids hogging. There are many people who feed street animals. I was amazed to see the Chennai Police Force support us in feeding strays too. You don’t need to be an animal lover or a pet parent — you just need to be humane. You too can set out milk, bread, eggs, curd, biscuits or dry food for the helpless animals and birds, and of course, some water. — LATA PRAKASH, IT professional and animal activist
A lot of stray dogs usually had titbits thrown at them and people living close by feeding them, which would now be very difficult given the situation. When people are around, there’s always some food these animals get to scavenge on. That’s how they stay alive even if they don’t get their tummies filled. But with no stores open and all the small shops and restaurants closed, there would be no food waste anywhere, which they can feed on. This current situation has hit them the hardest. I feed boiled rice and chicken to about 30 stray dogs in my locality, every day since the lockdown was imposed. Initially, when I had started, I faced questions from police about my being out of my house, roaming the park near my place in Delhi, but when I showed them what I was doing, they didn’t interfere again — VASUKI SUNKAVALLI, lawyer and a former model