No ‘Lockdown’ For This Animal Shelter
The global pandemic has brought in several changes in the lives of people but for this animal shelter it is life as always.
More than a year has gone by since the Corona virus was first discovered. In this time, people have seen several changes in their daily lives with lockdowns, compulsion of wearing masks, using sanitizers, and getting used to working from home. But for some people, working from home was not an option.
Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre — CARE, an animal shelter founded by Ms Sudha Narayan was established in January 2013 with the aim of providing timely medical aid to injured and ill animals found on the streets of Bengaluru. The inspiration behind the trust is 15-year-old Charlie, a differently abled, three-legged Indian dog which was an established figure in the field of canine therapy since 2005.
Animal shelters are majorly run with the help of donations — from organizations or individuals. Owing to the pandemic, there has been a drop in foreign contributions and even in regular donations, which has put a financial strain on CARE. Keerthan, who has worked with CARE for years, says: “We were the only animal welfare organization working during the pandemic in the entire city. CUPA, which is another animal welfare organization in Bangalore, was shut. A case of COVID-19 was found at their centre.”
As the only animal welfare organization in the city that was functioning during the pandemic months, CARE had to pick up close to three times number of animals every month than it did normally. Consequently, the funds needed to maintain the shelter and take care of these animals was also high, and with lack of donations it was a struggle for months.
During the initial months of the pandemic, when everything was shut, CARE rescued and sheltered 300 to 400 animals each month. “We needed around Rs 8 to 10 lakh each month to run the shelter during the pandemic, sometimes more. It was very difficult to maintain it at that time.”
When it comes to donations, social media plays a huge role for CARE. With close to 20,000 followers on social media, its reach is wide, which helps in getting foreign donations as well. CARE currently shelters over 400 animals, including more than 80 dogs, 60 cats, several chickens, ducks, Guinea pigs, rabbits, and pigs, which are permanent residents of the shelter. Adding to that, it also has animals for adoption, mostly pups and kittens. Today, CARE has a strong team of volunteers, drivers, and veterinarians, who work together every day to rescue stray, injured, or abused animals and give them a safe place to stay.
Originally published at https://www.nsoj.in on February 8, 2021.
