When I set foot in the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary, I am greeted with waggy tails. I think to myself: If this place can have so much happiness when it is in a derelict state, how much more cheer it’ll spread when it receives more “pawfall”?
The animal dispensary, located on Blue Cross Road in Besant Nagar, has been functioning for more than a quarter of a century, taking in abandoned pets and strays, some with disabilities and medical conditions.
Run by The Theosophical Society, the dispensary has seen better days.
It was considerably damaged in the December 2015 floods. The kennels and the other facilities are in a sorry state. Recently, it was announced that Shravan Krishnan, a city-based wildlife activist, was helping raise funds for the restoration of the facility.
Shravan is working closely with the Theosophical Society for this, and the team expects to raise ₹12 lakh by the end of this month through online crowd-funding.
Besides the online fund-raising campaign, Shravan plans to get in touch with corporates who will be willing to make donations towards the cause.
“A friend of mine has agreed to help in the restoration of this infrastructure. The idea is to bring this facility on par with any of the state-of-the-art animal dispensaries in the country.
For the facility to be self-sustaining, ₹25 to ₹30 lakh may be required every year and we hope to get there in two to three months. So far, the response has been very encouraging,” says Shravan.
The centre also has volunteers dropping in every week to groom the dogs and cats.
Most of four-footed residents at the facility have been abandoned near its gates at different points.
“When people find out that their pet is deformed or when they are moving to a house with space restrictions, they tend to abandon their pets. Usually these pets are tied to the gate outside,” says Dr. R. M. Kannambal who takes care of the animals at the centre.
S. Ramkumar, general secretary of Theosophical Society, says, “The centre is currently home to 60 dogs. Due to space constraints, we cannot keep more. So, we rehabilitate and return injured animals when they are in a condition to be returned.”
Diana Rathnagar, chairperson of Beauty without Cruelty (BWC) — India, has come forward to donate ₹ 10 lakh for medical equipment. Dr. Geetha Jayakumar, who heads the Chennai Chapter of BWC, says it’s important to educate people on why and how to be kind towards animals.
“We have to sensitise people, especially children, towards such things. At BWC, we educate them on how to lead a cruelty-free life and how to choose products that do not leave a negative impact on the environment. For instance, leather and animal-tested products can be avoided,” says Dr. Geetha.
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