With the world still dealing with the coronavirus, animal NGOs have strived to enforce animal welfare in our country
News Report on animal NGOs written by Parnika Shriyan (Mumbai)
The animals that are left to fend for themselves on the streets in India would be mightily coping with the struggles of coronavirus. Pooja Sakpal (44), the co-founder of the animal NGO, Yoda based in Pali Hill, Mumbai, was keen to share how her organisation dealt with the sudden changes that came along with the pandemic. "While there were some struggles, there was also a lot of good that came with it," says Sakpal. Since Yoda is a non-profit organisation that does not receive any grants from the Government, it is solely dependent on the donations brought in by private donors. One of the ordeals they had to face was to function properly without adequate funding. Yoda, however, was quick to recover from this shift.
The lockdown in Mumbai started on 25 March, and Yoda was functioning at its new normal by 1 April. PM Modi’s declaration on animal welfare was the push Yoda needed to launch into a reformed functioning of their organisation. They managed to supply 50,000 bags of rice, and dog and cat food over two weeks to places in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane, Matheran and Pune. Yoda did all this with five trucks and by following the covid-19 safety guidelines. They also donate to the nearby feeders to ensure the animals they cannot reach were given proper provisions.
Sakpal emphasises on the good that has come from the imposed lockdown. She has noticed that there are lesser instances of accidents and acts of violence inflicted on the animals. There was also a massive increase in the number of people who volunteered to foster strays due to the changed conditions. Yoda has participated in activities where they visit schools or have the students visit them to make them aware at a young age the importance of animal welfare. "Our NGO aims to ensure that there is no need for an NGO because all the animals have been provided with sustainable living," says Sakpal.
Nanditha Ravi (19), a university student, gave me an insight into the change that occurred with the pandemic to the strays in Bangalore. She has always been active in taking care of the strays in her neighbourhood and volunteered for an animal NGO over the summer. "I couldn't buy any food for the strays because all the shops near my house were shut down," says Ravi. However, she was able to go back to feeding strays since the lockdown didn't last long.
The endeavour to provide animal welfare during the pandemic was made easier due to the many animal lovers who fed the strays. These animal lovers came as individuals on the ground level, like Ravi as well as non-profit organisations like Yoda. Although they faced difficulties in the process, they were able to strive through due to their genuine love for animals.
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