Navi Mumbai has
passionate animal activists working for the cause of animals
By Dinesh
Kamath
NAVI MUMBAI: There are snake rescue teams
in and around Panvel who not only do the noble job of rescuing these reptiles promptly
when they get the news about their whereabouts but the members of these teams
also conduct educational programs at various schools and housing societies to
encourage more people to join them in rescuing snakes wherever they are trapped.
The monsoon is the season when these reptiles are detected in big number and
hence the snake rescue teams are most active during this season.
The members of these rescue teams have not received
any training in the matter of rescuing reptiles but it is just their love and
concern for these creatures that make them be the part of the rescue team. Many
of these people who rescue snakes in danger have learnt the job from
experience. What they learn they pass on to the new members of the team. Some
people are born with natural love for wild life and these snake rescuing
persons belong to that category.
These snake lovers have also gone to the extent of
forming an organisation called Snake Awareness Association and there are people
in and around Navi Mumbai who have volunteered to become the members of this
association and contribute to saving the snakes trapped anywhere in and around
the city. The members of this association have been doing the job of rescuing
snakes for last many years and hence they are now become experts in that job.
They are prepared throughout 24 hours to rush to the spot where a snake is in
danger. After they rescue the snake they release it into the wild, where they
do not face danger of being attacked by humans or wild animals. These snake
rescuers are able to detect whether a snake is poisonous or not since they have
done extensive study of variety of snakes that exist all over the world,
especially in Navi Mumbai. Rescuing snakes is a passion for them and they take
it very seriously. They do receive criticisms from people who believe that
snakes are dangerous for humans and hence should be destroyed the moment they
are spotted. But these snake lovers refuse to agree with them and they try to
tell the snake haters that these creatures are innocent and should not be
treated harshly. Some of these snake lovers also believe that snakes are divine
creatures considering the fact that they are worshipped by a big number of
Indians. In fact there is a festival called Nag Panchami which is devoted to
snakes.
In Panvel, the snake lovers have recently started an
organisation called Wildlife Rescue Centre at Panvel which offers emergency
treatment with free ambulance services. The members of this organisation
donated the funds to make it possible for the organization to purchase an
ambulance particularly for rescuing of birds and snakes which are treated free
of cost.
There is one Bhumi Jeevdaya's ambulance which travels
all over Navi Mumbai, rescuing snakes, birds and animals. They have two vets on
call, who attend emergency cases. Later the snakes are set free. If the rescued
animals need intensive treatment, then they are sent to the hospital in Thane
or Taloja.
There are many animal activists in Navi Mumbai who
are very passionate about dogs and their welfare too. A few days back the
residents and activists of the city have formed Navi Mumbai Animal Protection
Cell in order to fight for animal rights. They form a protection cell in order
to systematically deal with all the animal rights violations in Navi Mumbai. Jaspal
Singh of the NGO Socially Active Youth in Action (SAYA) had organized Poison
Biscuit Day after the death of 45 stray dogs which were poisoned to death by
some miscreants. These animal activists feel pained at the sight of people
throwing stones at dogs just to obtain cheap thrill at the cost of those
innocent animals. Hence many of them decide to fight against such cruelty and
fight for the rights of the animals. They also went to the extent of putting pressure
on the civic authorities to conduct sterilization programmes in a humane
manner.
IDA (In Defense of Animals) India has 2 sterilization
centres, in Deonar, Mumbai and Vashi in Navi Mumbai. IDA India has 4 large
ambulances that operate in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, and are mainly used for
catching and releasing of dogs for sterilization program. Two of these vans are
fitted with hydraulic lift to pick up large animals like cows, bullocks,
horses, donkeys, etc. that are in distress. IDA India has 3 small ambulances
that serve as Mobile Clinics. These vans have a qualified vet and a
Driver-cum-helper, and they treat animals with minor ailments like skin problem,
cold & cough, etc. on the road itself. One van moves in Eastern suburb and
another in the Western suburb of Mumbai, while the third van moves in Navi
Mumbai region. IDA India has night service too for emergencies during the
night. IDA India has a separate Helpline for large animals like ponies,
bullocks, cows, donkeys, etc.
Their ambulances cater to hundreds of animals in
Mumbai and Navi Mumbai area, and their Helpline makes every effort to attend to
the call promptly, but since the area covered by them is huge, there could be
times when the vans are away from the place from where you call for help to an
animal. Also due to heavy traffic on our streets, the ambulances could get
caught in traffic and may not be able to reach immediately. In such event:
These animal rescuing organisations have rescued,
provided refuge, and fought for justice for abused animals. They provide hope
for animals continuing to suffer in the city. They ensure that all rescued
animals receive safe transportation away from harm, provide them with
veterinary care, spay and neuter, good food and fresh water, and a lot of love
and kindness.
An animal activist says that there is a need to
conduct undercover investigations, coordinates raid with local law enforcement,
and ultimately rescue animals suffering from starvation, disease, violent abuse
and extreme neglect as it happens in foreign countries. In some foreign
countries, they animal lovers go the distance to provide the necessary evidence
to ensure every abuser is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. They do
so despite death threats and acts of physical violence against us. They do so
for the animals. They also facilitate the adoptions of hundreds of animals each
year.
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