Even as Nikhita Iyer enters the compound, a pack of dogs rush to her and allow her to move only after she has pets them. One has to see to believe the kind of relationship Nikhita and her fellow members of CaRe (Conservation and Rescue), an NGO engaged in rescue and rehabilitation of animals, have developed with the dogs.
Among the 30 dogs at CaRe, there was one with a disfigured face after an accident, a couple of them with skin infection, some with canine distemper (a serious viral infection) and healthy ones too after undergoing treatment.
CaRe, established in 2014 by Nikhita, an engineering graduate, Shradda Bindu, a medical professional, Rajesh and Pawan, among others, has been striving hard to protect the rights of animals. The team members, on getting information of any cruelty towards animals or accidents, rush to the spot and try to protect them, be it cats, dogs, cattle or even wild animals.
The team members have been managing the affairs at a government building with a lot of open area, in the heart of the city, with donations mainly from the Jain community. “We bring animals that are chronically ill and injured after accidents and treat them. After they recover, we drop them back in the same domain from where we picked them,” Nikhita told The Hindu .
She also narrates the stress that team members have to undergo. “A monkey sustained serious injuries after it fell off the terrace of a building in VIMS hospital. We ensured that the veterinary doctor came on time. The survival chances were less then 20%. Yet, the monkey was operated upon under a tree with one of us holding the saline bottle. After a prolonged procedure, one of the lungs, which had exposed, was put back and sutured. The monkey survived, which made us very happy,” she said. Not only stray animals, there are instances where the team has rescued pet dogs being ill-treated. “We are presently functioning from the government building on Hospet road. We have applied to the authorities to ensure that a place is given on lease so that we can start a full-fledged rescue centre,” Nikhita said and added that the “Deputy Commissioner had responded positively.”
