Updates from North India ... a matching fund and some great news!
Dear Friends/Supporters/Well Wishers for India/Nepal Animals!
Good News! (and please scroll down to the end for even more Good News!)
Elephants (from WRRC)
JAIPUR: Our Grantee WRRC, (Bangalore) has many legal cases to help the elephants. Now the petition filed by WRRC in the Supreme Court for captive elephants the Central Committee appointed by the Govt of India, has given strong directive to discontinue rides in in a phased manner at the iconic Amber Fort, where it has been a decades long practice ... that is a huge victory!
Elephant Riding in Jaipur, India. This photo will now be a thing of the past!
Dogs (from Varanasi for Animals)
SARNATH: Our project by Varanasi for Animals funded by Fondation Brigitte Bardot continued for another year changing attitudes and spay/neutering hundreds of dogs each year. The best news is that volunteers like Sonam and Drolma Dol continue year round to rescue and treat puppies and have been inspired to form a new group of their own. Hear is just one example of motherless puppies found in trash and here they are afterwards, fully grown, healthy and fed but best of all spay/neuter/rabies vaccinated!
Of course at VARANASI for Animals (see the new website here) our help to the animals goes on year round with about 20 dogs spay/neutered every day! A lot goes into helping all these dogs! First the community must be informed of how we are helping the dogs in their area. Not everyone trusts this service so education must be done. And not everyone wants the community dogs back to their community after ABC (animal birth control)! So further counseling must be done and of course to the children too making them empowered to be the eye witness advocates for the animals. Learn more about helping India's community/street dogs here.
Bird rescues Surat, Gujarat (Prayas Team)
The International Kite Festival in Gujarat is called Uttarayan. However, the sharp string (manja) used is actually illegal, but is still used and many birds are injured and need rescuing during this time! Manja is made out of crushed glass pieces, metal or other sharp substances to cut the opponent's kite string.
Our grantee Prayas-India team writes about this year's festival:
The campaign of more than 10 years now has resulted into a massive victory for birds as the casualties continue to report a 25% reduction on year to year since last 4 years now. Surat saw only 30% of the casualties of birds compared to 2015, and that is a big relief, but still we received over 150 birds this Uttarayan, and over 90% of them were rescued and treated. Volunteers had to be trained to follow PPE protocols and we had to take extra care for birds that may carry viral infections.
The delight was that the new generation of volunteers are taking the charge and that a promising sign for the birds of Surat and India that the times have changed and there is new hope for the compassionate and true to cause generation coming up, who chooses compassion and has fun while saving not killing
Special thanks goes to Help Animals India that has provided unconditional and a prominent support in spreading the word.
We are proud to have two major supporters for this campaign which is called "Cutting Edge", as we tackle the problem of killer cutting manja with making our actiona more sharper and efficient every year. The Forest Department which has enabled us to have the city wide coordination easy, and Help Animals India who has helped us not only built our shelter but also provided a moral support. We are joyous to find help and support from others friends overseas, that are represented by Help Animals India. A big thank you from all the birds rescued, to the team of Help Animals India.
"The joys of celebrating with kites are experienced by those who fly it, while the sorrows are experienced by those who can no longer fly. Our rescue team has been working diligently to restore the flight of numerous innocent birds."
Animal Rescue in Sikkim - A matching fund
Maneka Gandhi, head of People for Animals, foremost animal activist leader of all of India has asked our assistance in purchasing an ambulance for the new People for Animals in Sikkim. This magical Himalyan land has all the attributes for a paradise for the animals but needs some help from friends from abroad. These rescuers are desperate for a proper vehicle to travel the often difficult terrain to help as many animals as they can.
$8000 USD is needed and $4000 USD has been pledged by a very compassionate donor who knows her money will go so far to help with a vehicle like this! Will you help with any amount so we can meet our goal?
Calf Rescues - Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh
A hard working PFA (People for Animals) Bareilly was able to rescue this little calf from a very poor (and ignorant!) farmer.
Can you imagine the type of poverty that makes someone do this atrocity, even though poverty is no excuse for this abuse of cows that goes on worldwide!
This injured calf was found with his mouth bound, to prevent him from eating his "owner's" crops by our grantee #PFABareilly, and nursed back to health. He will remain in their care at their shelter for life. This is one of the few lucky male calves that do not find themselves in a slaughterhouse as a reject of the dairy industry. #GoVegan #GoVeganforTheAnimals
If you thought cows were still sacred in India, learn more here.
Here is more good news as promised.
If this change of law goes through it may be the biggest step forward towards the welfare of animal ever done by the Indian Government in the last 60 years. Many people worked for this including a campaign by Maneka Gandhi's People for Animals across India. They had children submit little videos asking that and at times pleading with Prime Minister Modi to increase the paltry fine of 60 rupees (less than one USA Dollar!) to over 75K rupees and 5 years in jail (about $1,000) Of course enforcement of these crimes against animals if the law will be changed are a different story but at least some real progress has now been made!
With love and deepest appreciation from the Help Animals India team, all of the animals, and our colleagues in India and Nepal who serve them. We again wish you a much better 2021 and success in your own worthy activities to bring happiness to all!