STREET ANIMAL RESCUE
Animal Aid runs a vital rescue program for injured and ill ownerless street animals in India, Vietnam and Pakistan. Every day we respond to 15-25 calls on our emergency helpline and rescue more than 3,500 animals each year. The emergencies we respond to range from animals injured after being hit by a vehicle, to wounds, to distemper and other illnesses, to mange, and to abuse cases.
Most cities across India don’t have an emergency helpline, a hospital, or a shelter for suffering street animals. Wounded and sick animals in those cities don’t get the treatment and care they desperately need.
Street animal rescue is vital not only for the individual animals in need of medical aid and care, but for animal protection in general. As long as injured animals suffering without care or treatment in the streets is the norm, we can’t even begin to hope for abuse to be stopped or for large scale animal suffering in factory farms and laboratories to be given a second thought.
Creating a vibrant rescue program in Udaipur since 2002 has been a continuous assignment involving hundreds of community presentations in schools, and in religious and community groups. We pass our phone number out through brochures, fliers, newspaper feature stories, and by affixing posters in public places.
Take a look at our Hurt to Healed success stories!
Since 2002, Animal Aid has rescued more than 45,000 wounded and ill street animals in India, Vietnam and Pakistan.
Compassion in Action – the Udaipur community helps animals
10 years ago, before Animal Aid was founded, there was no hospital for ownerless animals, no rescue team, no ambulance, and no veterinarian or nurse, to help an injured or ill stray animal in Udaipur. If an animal was hit by a car, had a broken leg, was suffering from mange, was brain damaged from a head-injury, was semi-paralysed, or ill in any way, even an animal lover would have found it impossible to take action.
After more than 12 years of rescuing animals, Udaipur’s population of 500,000 now holds the record of India’s highest per capita citizen involvement in street animal rescue.
The Rescue Team
Trained in rescuing dogs both by hand and by butterfly-net, the Animal Aid rescue team deftly navigates through narrow alleys and busy streets to catch even the shyest and fastest of dogs.
When the patient is a 300 kg (500 lbs) cow who has fallen in a ditch and is unable to stand or pull herself out, we rely on the help of Udaipur-ites, who are usually more than willing to pitch in.
Emergency callers also assist in the rescue by coaxing an injured animal in a room in their home to make sure we are able to find and catch the animal.
