New Year. Same Mission. Unwavering Commitment.
We began 2026 with a simple truth: new year, same animals, same suffering, same need. While the calendar changed, the reality for street dogs, cats, cattle, elephants, and wildlife did not. The work continued without pause because animals can't wait for resolutions to be kept or for perfect conditions to arrive.
This month brought both profound loss and continued determination. Here's what January looked like on the ground.
Farewell to a Legend: Brigitte Bardot (1934-2025)
On December 29th, the world lost Brigitte Bardot at age 91. Most knew her as a cinema icon. We knew her as a fierce advocate who walked away from fame in 1986 to dedicate her life to animal protection.
The Fondation Brigitte Bardot made Help Animals India's Sarnath Animal Welfare program possible through generous yearly grants. The 13th Annual Sarnath Camp in 2025:- 312 dogs sterilised, 741 vaccinated against rabies, rabies awareness in every government school, happened because her foundation believed in the work and funded it year after year.
The Fondation Brigitte Bardot will continue her legacy, and the animals she fought for will benefit from it.
The Supreme Court vs. The Law
On January 29, 2026, the Supreme Court reserved its judgment in proceedings addressing India’s street dog crisis. The core legal tension remains the court’s November 7 order, which created "institutional area" exceptions, mandating that stray dogs be removed from schools, hospitals, and transport hubs and permanently sheltered rather than released. This directive directly contradicts the Animal Birth Control (ABC) Rules 2023, which mandate the Catch-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (CNVR) protocol to return dogs to their original territories.
The logistical scale of the court's removal mandate is immense: housing dogs from India's 1.54 million educational institutions alone would require sheltering ~1.54 crore (15.4m) animals, yet the country currently has only 76 recognized ABC centers. Senior advocates argued that feeding just 100 dogs for two months costs approximately ₹6 lakh ($6,500), an economic burden currently borne by communities that municipal bodies are unable to assume. Further the Bench has signaled that it may fix "heavy compensation" on states for administrative failure and hold dog feeders financially liable for attack incidents.
While the court noted on January 7 that "no one knows which dog is in what mood in the morning," animal welfare advocates emphasize that Proper ABC implementation is the only scientifically proven solution. The living proof - Bholu, above is a doggie who was sterilised (see the ear notch) by Help Animals India project, Varanasi for Animals in Varanasi. He is a popular community dog loved by one and all around the ghats. Proper ABC implementation, not mass removal, is the proven solution.
The final verdict will determine if India adheres to these science-based statutory laws or moves toward a policy of mass removal.
Violence Against Animals: The Telangana Poisonings
January brought horrific mass poisonings in Telangana (state in East India) . 15 monkeys killed, 80 critically injured in Kamareddy district, allegedly transported in a van, poisoned, and dumped. This followed the mass poisoning of 500+ dogs in the same region, allegedly to fulfill a panchayat (Village council) election promise.
This is what happens when there's no infrastructure for humane management. No trained response teams. No conflict mitigation. Just poison, violence, and dead bodies.
This isn't an animal problem. It's a governance failure. Help Animals India grantees are on the ground doing sterling work managing human-animal conflict and raising awareness as well. Your donations will go a long way in helping them increase their efficiency
A Village Honors a Street Dog
In Rajiyawas village, Beawar, Rajasthan, an entire community gathered to bid farewell to a street dog. Not just a few people. The entire village.
This dog had no owner, no collar, no home. But whenever a villager passed away, he would instinctively find his way to the bereaved home, join the funeral procession, and sit at the cremation ground until the last rites were completed. Every time. Without fail.
When he died, the villagers held a funeral with music and Ramdhun. They're holding his 12th-day ceremony on January 15th. Sarpanch Brijpal Rawat said the dog became a symbol of service and compassion in the village.
This is what India's street dogs are: loyal, intuitive, woven into communities. Rajiyawas understood what some Supreme Court judges apparently don’t, these dogs aren't problems to be removed. Their lives are worth honouring.
PFA Biggest Wins of 2025
When you've got a team as fierce and dedicated as People For Animals, the wins pile up fast. In 2025, PFA didn't just show up; they absolutely dominated the animal welfare space across India.
From rescuing over 52,000 animals to treating more than 1.5 lakh (150K) at their hospitals, they proved that compassion scales. Their mobile clinics covered an incredible 5.8 lakh (580K) kilometres: that’s like circling the Earth 14 times, bringing veterinary care to the most remote corners of the country.
They sterilised 36,500 street dogs through ABC programmes, vaccinated 28,000 animals against rabies, and ran 847 humane education sessions, planting seeds of kindness in young minds. Add to that 312 legal interventions, a fiercely effective volunteer network, and relentless advocacy that shifted policies and saved lives, and you've got a year that's nothing short of extraordinary.
Watch the video to see the full breakdown of PFA's incredible 2025. These are the wins that remind us why we do this work, and why supporting organisations like PFA matters so damn much.
Because every victory starts with someone who cares enough to act.
Rahul’s Forever Home
Raahat Animal Hospital pulled Rahul the goat from the edge, literally minutes before he would have been sacrificed in the name of religion. In 2026, in Dehradun, a capital city and education hub, animals are still being dragged to slaughter under the guise of faith and tradition. But fear feels the same. Suffering feels the same. And no ritual, no belief, no custom justifies inflicting terror and death on a living, breathing being. Rahul is safe now, living at Raahat's vegan sanctuary as a proof that compassion must intervene where blind belief refuses to evolve. As a proof that, no matter what, tradition and rituals aren’t set in stone and needs to evolve with time, shedding the ones that do not promote compassion.
The Work Continues
As January ends, the needs remain:
- Supreme Court orders under review, with animal welfare groups fighting for science-based solutions
- ABC programs requiring consistent funding across India and Nepal
- Sanctuaries needing resources to house and care for hundreds of resident animals
- Wildlife rescue infrastructure needed in regions that currently have none
- Education programs teaching children and communities about humane coexistence
January 2026 Grants Dispersed
We're kicking off 2026 the way we mean to continue—by backing the organisations on the ground, doing the unglamorous, essential, life-saving work every single day.
This January, Help Animals India disbursed grants to seven incredible programmes across India and Nepal, each one tackling a different piece of the animal welfare puzzle.
- STRAW India is shaping the future by bringing humane education into Indian schools, teaching kids that kindness isn't optional, it's essential.
- Varanasi for Animals (WVS HOPE) and Sarnath Animal Welfare are out in the streets, running ABC programmes that protect both dogs and communities, proving once again that science works when we let it.
- RESQ continues to be the emergency response India's wildlife desperately needs - 24/7, no days off, no excuses.
- Sneha's Care in Nepal is building hope from the ground up with a brand-new shelter for abandoned animals.
- PFA Agra - fodder to feed large shelter animals, salary for a paravet to assist surgeries
- And Karuna Society is keeping their frontline team equipped and moving with staff salaries and a shiny new mobile clinic van.
Seven grants. Countless lives. One mission: creating a kinder, safer world for animals.
This is how change happens: one grant, one rescue, one act of compassion at a time.
Gratitude and Looking Forward
To the veterinarians, rescue teams, feeders, sanctuary staff, educators, and donors: thank you for starting 2026 the way you ended 2025: showing up, doing the work, refusing to look away.
Brigitte Bardot's legacy reminds us that one person using their platform for the voiceless can change systems. The village of Rajiyawas reminds us that communities can choose compassion over cruelty. The Supreme Court battle reminds us that fighting for what's right isn't easy, but it's necessary.
2026 needs the same commitment 2025 had. Animals need advocates who show up consistently, not just when it's convenient.
Continue supporting this work
With deepest gratitude and appreciation,
The Help Animals India Team, our colleagues in India and Nepal, and the animals we love and serve
P.S. Exchange rates continue to work in our favor: $1 USD = 90 Indian Rupees and $1 USD = 143 Nepalese Rupees. Every dollar stretches farther than ever, helping us make an even bigger difference for animals in need.
