It is a dilemma that animal activist Shravan Krishnan says he constantly faced while rescuing injured animals: where does one take them to heal?
“That is why I have always wanted to build a hospital,” says Krishnan, pointing out that regular hospitals are fairly expensive and rescuers end up having to shell out a lot of money for treatment.
Now, if all goes well, this dream may come through. Krishnan, in association with the Theosophical Society, has taken on the responsibility of renovating the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary that is located off Besant Avenue in Adyar.
Currently, the dispensary, which was erected in 1968 by the Society, to offer free treatment to injured and ailing animals, is in a dilapidated condition. Also, they don’t have funds or enough people to run it, points out Krishnan. “The place can be used much better,” he says, adding that the floods and cyclone that ravaged the city recently have made the situation even worse.
Krishnan hopes to expand and make the space more functional by introducing new medical equipment, fumigating the space frequently, and introducing a 24*7 ambulance facility. He also wants to introduce animal birth control practices here, rebuild the kennels and hire more staff, he says.
“We need at least ₹25-30 lakh per year to run a shelter on this scale,” says Krishnan, who has just kicked off an online fundraising campaign towards this cause.
The 30-day campaign that is hosted on crowdfunding platform BitGiving, is working towards a figure of ₹12,00,000. So far, they have raised around ₹22,000.
“We cannot wait to renovate the shelter, and ensure everyone has access to the facilities. Please show us your support and love,” he writes on BitGiving.
To know more, log onto www.bitgiving.com/
