Masks, lockdown, and some good news
Dear Friends of the Animals:
We are very grateful to all who are helping as they can. We are sorry to report desperate pleas from so many groups and animal shelters.
Difficulties continue but doesn’t stop the help to the animals! Help Animals India's main focus during these times are:
1. Keeping animal shelters going with their ability to continue rescues and keep animals fed. Recent grants since last email in July include: MAITRI in hardhit Bodhgaya, Bihar; Karuna Society in Puttapathi; Rahaat for Animals (Dehra Doon); PFA (People for Animals) Agra , PFA Uttarakhand, PFA Trivandrum; PFA Kollam; PFA Bhubaneswar/Dhyan Foundation; the new PFAs at Sikkim and Durg; HAS - Coimbatore; JBF (Just Be Friendly); Varanasi for Animals/Sarnath Animal Welfare, APOWA-Odisha; FAWN- Sneha’s Care/Nepal.
A sweet buffalo at the PFA (People for Animals) Agra shelter.
2. Feeding street animals including working horses/donkeys who are starving during lockdown situations.
Bella is happy she had her baby at PFA Uttarakhand today instead of on the busy road from where she was rescued during the lockdown. Bella was already pregnant when abandoned. Help Animals India is supporting building new stables to accommodate the many new arrivals (male donkeys will all be neutered).
In Odisha through our grantee APOWA
The pandemic crisis has a deep impact particularly on working animals like horses, camels used for goods transportation, engaged in tourism sector at famous beaches, marriage procession and other activities. Unfortunately all of these sectors are now restricted These animals are a lifeline & livelihood sources for many poor owners . The lack of income is proving impossible for people to afford basic necessities like food and vet care for their animals. Some animals have been cruelly abandoned to their own fate. Thousands of working horses and camels are still facing starvation, malnutrition, uncared and struggling to survive. During this unprecedented and challenging time, animals are the most vulnerable just as they are in any other disaster.
The supply of feeds and emergency feeding to most vulnerable horses & camels one of the most important ways we have helped during this life-threatening crisis. The end of COVID-19 crisis is unknown. But our mission is to reduce the suffering of these vulnerable animals and to help the poor owners by providing nutritious feeds, away from starvation and keep their animals alive & happy.
3. Animal birth control projects continuing so that vast numbers of unwanted pups and kittens are not born unloved and unwanted contributing to their abuse and community rabies fears.
Feeding street dogs is important as they are starving due to lockdown and do not get leftover restaurant food, but we have to do animal birth control too! The risk of rabies is too great. Varanasi for Animals has completed the yearly project for ABC (animal birth control plus rabies) in nearby Sarnath. Sarnath is the holy village where the Buddha gave his first teaching. This is our eight year of this project. Lockdown difficulties made it very hard to continue the project but more and more puppies were being born and couldn’t back track on the gains of past eight years. Sarnath had few tourists this year, like everywhere, so even more important we completed the project so that dogs would not suffer and starve on the street. In August in Sarnath and Varanasi well over 500 dogs have been spay/neuter/rabies vaccinated. A thorough anti rabies vaccination program throughout the whole area was carried out in addition to the birth control project as well as countless rescues with enthusiastic and helpful community involvement This was because all these years of education has paid off. We were unable to have awareness classes in the schools due to safety concerns, however, a few information sessions were held in the villages and posters with information were put up around town. Our thanks go out to the Brigitte Bardot Fondation for their grant that makes this project of Help Animals India possible.
Left: Bringing her families community dog for spaying and rabies vaccination.
Left: Chotu is happy to be back after sterilization! Right: Rain or lockdown won't stop the humane dog catching teams!
Our special cat spay/neuter project continues in densely populated Bangalore through CUPA, about 80 community cats a month continue to get fixed as the public pleads for our support. More full time medical staff, more cat traps, holding cages and surgical sets are funded. Why should litter after litter of unloved kittens be born to suffer when we can actually DO SOMETHING to prevent this!
Other projects - more disaster relief - lockdown and now floods!
Help Animals India was the support as we have been for several years for flood relief in the N.E. State of Assam through JBF (Just Be Friendly), see the video here.
And support to flood rescues in different areas such as the one above through a People for Animals In Rajasthan.
Shockingly, the Nepal government in order to "clean up the streets" has once again carted away 300 sweet cows and dumped them in the middle of an isolated area of Western Nepal. We are rising to the task of sending money to help feed them and give medical care to survive. A roof is being built for their future. Two veterinary technicians team visit every week once for health checkups and monitoring. The government office has hired six people to look after them. Most importantly the FAWN (Federation of Animal Welfare Nepal) NGO is working with the government so this doesn't happen again, meanwhile Help Animals India and others have stepped in to help through Sneha's Care, Nepal.
BREAKING NEWS! More than 50 buffaloes illegally transported for slaughter seized with the help of police now in PFA (People for Animals)-Dhyan Bhubaneswar shelter. You can contribute so that Help Animals India can support their care through Maneka Gandhi’s office of PFA Delhi.
Buy a really very comfortable cotton mask and help a dog for USA people! Help Animals India will receive 25% of your purchase price through the dedicated group SevaStray helping dogs in India. Please go to this link only to purchase! Also see the extensive selection of lovely masks and also dog products, pillows, scarfs, jewelry, handbags, toys all handmade and empowering tribal women in India, thereby supporting them too. A win/win!
The needs and requests are overwhelming but each animal we reach significantly helps overcome needless suffering to save birds, buffaloes, cats, cows, dogs, donkeys, elephants, goats, horses monkeys and other wildlife!
Now the needs are greater than usual as we work to give the groups COURAGE We will continue to do our best for animals in India/Nepal - promise!
Your donation will save lives! One USD = 74 Indian rupees !
With love and deepest appreciation and gratitude from the Help Animals India team, all of the animals, and our colleagues in India and Nepal who serve them. We wish you success in your own worthy activities to bring happiness to all!
Thank you so much and please take care!
