For V. Chithran, a final year student of law from Singanallur, the lockdown is a chance to spend more time with furry friends on the streets.
The 24-year-old youth is one of the volunteers in Coimbatore who feed stray dogs during the lockdown.
Mr. Chithran and his friend S. Pavithran (22) start their day by cooking rice which they get as donations from people.
They also add milk and meat parts like chicken liver, which they collect from restaurants that offer takeaways, to the rice. Biscuits and water are also part of their menu.
“We feed 20 to 30 dogs a day in areas such as Singanallur, SIHS Colony, Ondipudur and Ramanathapuram. We cover one of these areas a day. Safety gears such as masks and gloves are worn during the service,” says Mr. Chithran who has also rescued 20 snakes including venomous ones during the lockdown and handed over to the Forest Department.
Mr. Chithran and Mr. Pavithran, who works at the public relations section of a company, are among the volunteers who have obtained ‘regular dog feeder’ pass from the Department of Animal Husbandry in Coimbatore.
According to Mr. Chithran, several people abandoned their dogs following hospitalisation due to COVID-19.
The Pawsome People Project, in collaboration with the Humane Animal Society, feeds more than 200 stray dogs every day.
Of its 200 volunteers in Coimbatore, around 20 of them feed stray dogs at Sowripalayam, New Sidhapudur, Venkitapuram, Vadavalli, G.V. Residency, Gandhinagar, Bharathi Colony, Kavundampalayam, Hope College, Ganapathy, Thiruvalluvar Nagar, Singanallur and Lakshmipuram.
“One of our volunteers from Podanur feeds more than 40 stray dogs in the locality. While the volunteers who hold the pass visit the above areas and feed stray dogs, others feed dogs near their houses,” says Mary Chandy, head of operations at the Pawsome People Project.
Apart from the individual volunteers and organisations, many people like S. Mani from Puliyakulam are feeding stray dogs in their locality.
