At a time when the animals are left in lurch due to lack of access to food amidst the lockdown, volunteers of Oorvanam, a city-based youth voluntary group involved in rescue of animals, are demonstrating the right way to take care of them.
These volunteers are feeding and supplying water to the wild animals at the foothills of Tirupparankundram, in addition to nurturing the stray dogs.
For the last six years, the volunteers have been regularly filling up five cement tanks with water during summers to quench the thirst of the wild animals. But, this summer, the volunteers are also feeding bananas to the monkeys, which are predominantly found at the foothills. These animals were facing starvation as pilgrims were barred from entering the Subramanya Swamy Temple on top of the hill.
“The devotees used to feed them with fruits or food prepared from annadhanam (free food) prepared at the temple. But, since the lockdown, these animals were left starving,” says P. R. Viswanath, the head of the group.
He adds that there are no native trees in the foothills to satiate the hunger of the animals. “It is also important to feed these animals as otherwise these animals could enter the villages and it could lead to human-animal conflict,” he says.
As a precautionary measure to curb the spread of COVID-19, the volunteers are wearing face masks and hand gloves. C. Srinivasan, a volunteer, says that their team has worked during other natural calamities including the Vardah cyclone and Kerala floods.
Along with the animals, the volunteers also feed the abandoned elderly who are in distress due to the lockdown. P. Sagadevan, another volunteer says, that friends and philanthropists donate money and supply groceries to prepare food for the elderly.
For Mr. Viswanath, the current fight against COVID-19 brings back memories of the outbreak of parvovirus among dogs in the city last year. “Many puppies died last year because of parvovirus enteritis, a highly contagious disease.” “This current crisis shows how humans are part of this ecosystem where all animals also coexist,” he says.
