Help Dharamsala's Street Dogs on #GivingTuesdayNow During Covid-19

Dharamsala Animal Rescue, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

If you've visited my blog before then you might have read about Dharamsala Animal Rescue, an animal welfare NGO in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh State, North India that works to end human deaths by rabies, provides humane animal control and rescue programs, adoption, and community education.

I've visited the NGO a few times, most recently in November 2019, and am a big fan of their work and the dogs.

Street dogs all over the world are suffering now due to a lack of food. Dharamsala Animal Rescue (DAR) is one of the many organizations hard at work helping dogs survive the lockdowns.

Shivu Chauhan with Dharamsala Animal Rescue resident dogs, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

Help Animals India explained things in the email update I received from the NGO on April 2.

"As bad as it is for people, imagine being a street dog, cat or cow in one of the developing countries in the world? Now imagine that all of the tourists have fled, all hotels and restaurants shuttered as well as all vegetable markets and food vendors. Imagine that you go to the place you go every day to eat from heaping garbage piles that these establishments throw out each day and finding nothing there. The hunger and desperation becomes intolerable. There is no one outside to see you suffer or lend a small bite of food. They are scared to come out of their homes and you starve to death."

If you are able then please help Dharamsala Animal Rescue by making a donation on Tuesday, March 5, 2020 #GivingTuesdayNow. Please share this story to help raise awareness.

Here is the most recent email update I've received from Dharamsala Animal Rescue, sent on April 23.

Dharamsala Animal Rescue

Dharamsala Animal Rescue logo, www.dharamsalaanimalrescue.org.

So much has happened since I last wrote to you!

I tried something new and put updates with footage of our work in a video. Let me know what you think.

[Watch Deb's video on the Dharamsala Animal Rescue YouTube channel.]

Here is the synopsis:

Dharamsala has been on complete lockdown for over one month now. No one is allowed outside of their homes except from 8am to 11am to go to the stores for food if necessary.

With everyone at home and all businesses, hotels, and restaurants being closed there is no food source for the stray animals. Along with this, many animals are still injured and ill and in need of emergency rescue.

After a week of asking the local government for a pass to allow us to rescue animals in need of emergency care and to provide food to the street animals, DAR was finally granted permission.

Dharamsala Animal Rescue staff member feeding a street dog, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

We know that there are approximately 4200 dogs just in one section of lower Dharamsala thanks to our annual population counts. That is a lot of mouths to feed! We are encouraging everyone to feed animals outside of their homes. One family is feeding 130 dogs every day - which is amazing.

We are also still executing emergency rescues - Ghewar pictured below - was found missing most of his hind leg. With lockdown rules (only staff living close to DAR can work), and our vet stuck in Australia, we needed to get permission to take Ghewar to an emergency vet 1.5 hours away. His amputation is now scheduled for this coming week.

Ghewar, Dharamsala Animal Rescue newsletter.

We Can't Thank you Enough

I know this time is difficult for everyone, which is why your continued support is so amazing.

If you can, please consider a monthly donation to help us sustain our programs and keep our staff employed during this time. Just $10 a month goes an incredibly long way in India.

We are determined to do everything we can during this difficult time to ensure the voiceless dogs stay healthy during this crisis.

With gratitude,

Deb Jarrett, Founder & Executive Director

More Updates

Dharamsala Animal Rescue, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

Read the April 9, 2020 Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook post:

"WE'VE GOT OUR FEEDER PERMIT! Yay!!!

"Finally, after weeks of following up and chasing the authorities, we were granted the feeder permit that will allow us to go out and feed the strays without fear of getting reprimanded or challenged.

"We have received only one feeder pass, and are covering the areas of Mohli, Khaniyara, Rakkar & Sidhbari for now, and are trying to expand everyday, with a one-time feed every morning. It's nowhere close to what we wanted, but we are making do with what we've got.

"We might be working with a very limited staff right now, but there is no shortage of compassion and dedication! Our tiny little team of 4 is working like a powerhouse and making up for the absence of over 50% of the team."

The Dogra Family and friends, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

Watch a short video on the Dharamasala Animal Rescue Facebook page about the Dogra Family and their friends who are cooking for and feeding 130 street dogs daily. They are covering the areas of Kotwali market, Cantt road, Dharamsala Bus stand, Maximus mall and the Old bus stand. They do all of this from 8:00-11:00 AM when allowed outside.

The Dogra Family, Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook.

Donate

Dharamsala Animal Rescue is a nonprofit organization that relies on donations to help India's street dog population as well as eradicate the deadly disease of rabies which kills 1 person every 30 minutes in India - the majority of whom are impoverished children.

As a supporter you will be giving these animals a second chance at life and preventing needless human deaths.

To help, considering becoming a monthly donor or make a one-time gift. You can also donate through the Dharamsala Animal Rescue Facebook page or sponsor a dog living at Dharamsala Animal Rescue paying by the month or the year.

Learn more about how the pandemic is affecting animals in India and what different NGOs are doing to help by following Help Animals India and Vets Beyond Borders on Facebook or on the Help Animals India website and Vets Beyond Borders website.

Help Feed Many Animals in Bangalore on #GivingTuesdayNow During Covid-19

Compassion for ALL, CUPA newsletter.

You might have read earlier blog posts about my enthusiasm for and visits to Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA), an animal welfare NGO in Bangalore, Karnataka State, South India.

CUPA operates seven centers (adoption center, animal birth control, veterinary hospital, and more) that care for 10,000+ wild and domesticated animals every year. I've visited most of CUPA's centers, including repeat visits to the Large Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (LARRC) which is home to 100+ large domesticated animals and rescued dogs.

CUPA is just one of the many animal welfare NGOs around the world taking care of street animals who due to lockdowns have been cut off from the sources of food they depend on to survive. If you are able then please remember them on Tuesday, May 5, 2020 #GivingTuesdayNow. Please help raise awareness by sharing this story with others.

Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA)

Here is the most recent (April 28) email newsletter I've received from CUPA.

CUPA logo, CUPA Facebook.

Lockdown Hits Operations
This is a quick update, for all our donors, supporters and well wishers, on the work CUPA has been engaged in during these distressing times. Covid-19 struck us rather unexpectedly and the lock down had not been anticipated by anyone. The moment we gauged the seriousness of the situation, CUPA centers started stocking up on food grains, fodder and packaged feed for the dogs, cats and large animals.

During the start of the lock-down, we shut down the seven working centers for volunteers, visitors and Animal Birth Control Operations for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), in order to reduce the number of people coming into contact with staff and animals.

Our rescue operations continue on a smaller scale to ensure timely medical care for sick and injured animals, as do our shelter operations at the four centers housing large numbers of dogs, cats, cows, ponies, donkeys and horses. 

A few of the many dedicated CUPA staff members, CUPA newsletter.

 
Staff Welfare First
The CUPA Board decided that all salaries will be paid on time and in full. We are committed equally to the welfare of the staff without whom none of the work would have been possible.
CUPA works with organisations/volunteers to help hungry animals affected by lock-down

Street dog feeding, CUPA Facebook.

Collaboration

We are extremely proud to be associated with various organisations and individuals who have come forward to help with feeding animals affected by Covid-19 lockdown across the city. Bangalore has 3 Lakh+ stray animals.

We have also allocated the food to veteran feeders who know how to carry out responsible community animal feeding. We would like to extend our thanks to all these feeders and volunteers who are sacrificing their time to make sure our community animals are taken care of everyday.

About 4000 animals are being fed everyday across the city of Bangalore during the lockdown. Cooked food and packaged food is being distributed through our strong network of volunteers.

The same high quality food cooked for CUPA shelter dogs is being cooked and served to street dogs every day, CUPA Facebook.

Additionally about 2000 large animals like jatka ponies, donkeys, horses used for weddings and other ceremonies, stray bulls are being fed with green fodder. There are pockets of nomadic people who camp with their bullocks in various parts of Bangalore These begging bullocks are known as 'Bayalu Basavanna' and green fodder was distributed to one such colony in Nagarabhavi. 

Indian cows eating CUPA-provided fodder, CUPA Facebook.
Read about India's native cow breeds on wikipedia.

Compassion for ALL!
The Ministry of Home Affairs requesting us to supplement the Government's efforts during this Covid-19 period by extending support for feeding hungry humans who are homeless and migrant.
Coupled with many requests from donors who have asked us where they could also contribute to feeding of needy humans, CUPA has started a special fund - Covid19 Mission - Food For All. This project sees us reaching out to collaborate with respected partners in the field to feed migrant workers and their families.

Belgavi, Karnataka State, India, CUPA Facebook.

North Karnataka Relief
We recently received a call from the district Veterinary officer in Belgavi, a district in North Karnataka where CUPA distributed relief material for animals affected by the floods in 2019. This year we were requested to provide assistance in procuring dog food since the lockdown had caused widespread hunger to hundreds of dogs in the region. We were lucky that we identified vendors in Belgavi and quickly coordinated the distribution of Dog food to feed the hungry dogs of Belgavi. We were really happy to help.

See How Your Contributions Were Used

• Feed for 400+ animals in our shelters
• Additional feed for about 4000 dogs and 2000 large animals like cows, ponies, horses affected by lockdown
• Rescue and rehabilitation of injured & sick animals
• Migrant labour welfare
• Staff welfare

CUPA Sponsor a Meal Campaign, CUPA newsletter.

Sponsor A Meal Campaign
CUPA needs funds to feed 400+ animals in our shelters and community animals around us. We are running our centres with skeletal staff who are working tirelessly to ensure animals are fed and cared for. Be compassionate and donate a sum to help us during these trying times. We will be feeding dogs in different areas of Bangalore. Every contribution counts! Donate on the CUPA website.

Elderly hungry street dogs need you, CUPA Facebook.

Visit CUPA on Facebook or CUPA on Instagram for more stories and photos.

DJ Focus & Innovate Salone

This YouTube video has garnered 1M+ views since it was posted five days ago. Clearly I'm not the only one who feels compelled to share it :)



I know it's not #GivingTuesday but you can help Innovate Salone empower more Sierra Leonean youth like Kelvin Doe (aka "DJ Focus") by contributing to the project's Crowdrise campaign. 

The project's founder, David Sengeh wants to provide a basic set of tools and supporting platform to transform good ideas into projects that impact entire communities. To get an idea of the other youth who have participated in the national high school innovation challenge check out Innovate Salone's 2012 finalists. These finalists invented solutions to problems they see in their daily lives.

Innovate Salone is a project of Global Minimum Inc. (GMin) a 501(c)3 founded in the US in 2006 "to empower locals who wish to create and implement their own solutions to the issues that they truly understand."

Follow the nonprofit on Facebook. Follow David Sengeh on Twitter.