In Kolkata, for every starving dog picked up, there are dozens abandoned. While well-meaning citizens look to rescue centres for assistance, the people trying to rehabilitate animals lament our lack of awareness of the scale of the problem. Fielding endless distress calls over the course of the day, rescue centres need us to work with them towards finding solutions.
If you’re a zoophilist, here’s what you can do:
Zoophilist Tip 1: Pick up basic first-aid training at one of the shelters
Rescue shelters cannot be asked to remove aggressive stray dogs from the neighbourhood, as that has been made illegal. The dogs can be sterilised and then dropped off on their streets because they need their own community. Often, an animal shelter will not be able to deploy a van for an injured animal immediately. Neither can they afford round-the-clock vets. So, what can we do to save a life while we’re losing time? “Whatever a civilian can do with basic first-aid knowledge is a lot … like treating mild bleeding through a betadine gauze, or feeding a neomec tablet with a mishti to counter any maggot-wound or skin ailment,” explains Esha Dutta, a committee member of Ashari, a Mukundapur-based animal shelter.
The volunteers at Love n Care for Animals based in Maheshtala have all received first-aid training. Susmita Roy, the public relations officer, says it is a challenge to find trained personnel to look after the animals.
Ashari, currently housing more than 250 dogs, 100 cats and 150 cows, has devised a method for ‘spot treatment’, where it sends around a van equipped with basic medication. They identify animals that can recover on the streets by themselves and then dress their wounds, provide them with painkiller shots or give them antibiotic tablets. Esha laments that this is difficult to do for cows, especially those with leg injuries. Cow accidents have become abundant due to rash truck driving in the Rajarhat-Newtown stretch.
Roy of Love n Care for Animals (which houses over 200 feline rescues on its premises in addition to dogs, cows and horses) says the 250+ horse population in the Maidan area isn’t any better off, with poverty-stricken owners who can’t take care of them, which leads to many ending up at the shelter.
Zoophilist Tip 2: If you spot an animal in distress, spend time with it until rescue services arrive
Prasenjit Dutta, former secretary of PAWS (Pashupati Animal Welfare Society), says that he receives calls for help every 15 minutes, as many animal welfare contacts provided online are non-responsive. Shelters might need you to bring the animal in yourself and also fund basic treatment. “Medical treatment requires money to be spent on medicines, doctors and sometimes surgeons. It is impossible for an NGO to pick up every case,” he explains. If you’re short on funds, see if friends and family are willing to help. People have a way of rallying round for a crisis.
Zoophilist Tip 3: Take the trouble to register a formal complaint
An alarming number of pets are being surreptitiously euthanized when they become a burden on the family. Older pedigreed dogs are bound to encounter health issues due to age, and sometimes families do not want to be responsible for dealing with it. When a shelter refuses to take in such cases, the pets are often euthanised, even though it is illegal to euthanize a healthy dog. If you hear of such a case, or even of a case of animal abuse, it is not enough to air your grievances on social media. “The animal protection laws in this country are very weak, and if you don’t go to the police and file a case with proper evidence, nothing will ever happen,” explains Prasenjit.
Zoophilist Tip 4: Let’s change the adoption conversation to Indian strays
“The need of the hour is to be an animal-lover, not merely a pet-lover,” said Prasenjit, while pointing out the hypocrisy in preferring exotic breeds over Indian strays. He goes on to explain how, due to the demand, breeders often put the mother dog through inhumane hormone injections to breed them in every cycle. Then the new-borns are stacked into cages to fetch a hefty sum. Given these conditions, these dogs are more likely to develop diseases later in life. They are left to die the moment they are old and cannot earn for breeders.
Zoophilist Tip 5: Try passive adoption
Most animal centres have a provision called passive adoption, where for a monthly fee (at Ashari it is Rs 1,000), a family can adopt any of the animals at their shelter. They can then name the pet, buy goodies for them, celebrate their birthdays, and visit them whenever they want at the shelter.
Zoophilist Tip 6: Begin the change at home
While encouraging the adoption of Indian strays, you might also learn of pets on the brink of being abandoned for many reasons. “It is important though for parents to not give the pet as a gift or toy to the child, but a companion they are responsible for and grow up with,” said Esha.
Moving cities should also not be a deterrent, as most airlines allow pets in the cargo hold with a vaccination certificate from a vet. Train journeys are easier if one can book a coupe.
Zoophilist Tip 7: Extend empathy
People who work with animal shelters face grotesque scenes every day and many have admitted that the emotional stress of the job often leads to depression and “a sense of complete emptiness”. The shelters are also overrun with injured and abandoned animals, besides being short-staffed. The pandemic saw a spike in abandonment because so many families lost their earning members. “However, there has also been a proportional increase in adoptions as pets present a great deal of companionship, along with unconditional love and care which can make a great impact during this time,” said Esha.
Animals are great companions in both laughter and silence. After all, in the words of Mark Twain, “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and man.”