ONEtul Sarin (58), a resident of the town of Siolim in North Goa, said his love for animals stems from the countless times he accompanied his father to wildlife parks during his childhood. in Mombasa, Kenya. His parents had moved abroad in hopes of a better future. Citing cases of political unrest in the African country, he said his family moved to the UK when he was 13 years old.
“I studied law, but right after I graduated, I joined my parents’ hardware and garden supply store. But I am not satisfied with my life there. It’s stressful, expensive, and inclement weather. By 2005, I decided to give up my business and move to India for some time off,” he explained.
In the same year, Atul bought a Portuguese house built in the 1930s in Siolim. With terracotta floors, high ceilings, scalloped windows and a garden lined with mango, banana and jackfruit trees, he found it to be the ideal guest house during Goa’s peak tourist season from October to March.
“The area is frequented by wealthy tourists who feed their dogs at nearby Ashvem and Morjim beaches. But on a morning walk during the first monsoon in Goa, I was horrified to see how many dogs died of starvation. The beaches are deserted; even the shacks are closed because there is no business and no one is around to take care of the dogs. I started visiting them with food every morning, and even gave first aid to the injured,” he recounted.
At the same time, he began to feel anxious when he saw stray cattle roaming his neighborhood, most of them severely malnourished and abandoned. He thought he could help by volunteering at shelters but quickly realized that there were hardly any animal NGOs in North Goa.
“Back in 2008, I saw a three-legged cow trying to cross a busy road. It was a really sad sight – she was trying to walk but people were pushing her around to avoid traffic. I wanted to help her, but the civil status officials told me I needed a signed affidavit from her owner. [to take her in]. Now I realize that was unnecessary as she was left to fend for herself, but I asked around and found the owner. He happily let go of her because he could no longer hold her. I brought her back to my garden and named her Tara. She was my first rescue,” he said India is better.
Today, Atul’s garden is recognized as a livestock farm by the state government and operated under the Animal Welfare Foundation of Goa (WAG), his registered animal welfare NGO. in 2012. This is the only site in North Goa that currently rescues stray cattle, after having been rehabilitated He claims to date nearly 5,000 cows.
According to Atul, WAG has been able to rescue and rehabilitate more than 15,000 animals including cows, goats, donkeys, pigs, dogs, cats and even birds like chickens, parrots and turkeys.
“I bandage the wound and bottle-feed the calves.”
Built around Atul’s home, the WAG facility includes two separate shelters for injured animals – one for livestock and a second for other recovering animals.
It also has a veterinary rescue clinic that can accommodate up to 20 cats and dogs at a time. Approximately 120 resident animals, including 70 abandoned cows, are cared for by 10 staff members at WAG, including two veterinarians, assistants, caretakers and rescuers, and several volunteers conscientious.
Recalling his early days of independence, he shared: “The government system required NGOs to maintain a record of livestock on the streets and lock them up in housing complexes run by municipalities. create. But there were no such facilities when I started rescuing them in 2008. A lot of people started bringing their injured cows to me, and I was able to care for almost 50 of them with with the help of a veterinarian and a few volunteers. While their owners took them home after treatment, about eight injured cows like Tara were still in my care. “
Atul says he turned his garden into a complex by cutting the front sections of it and keeping several cages to separate livestock from dogs and cats. At that time, he spent up to Rs 50,000 per month to secure their lives.
“People in the area are not knowledgeable about animal care, and I had to teach myself everything from treatment to treatment. special diet. For example, a cow with a hoof injury must be cleaned daily. I usually clean the wound by myself, apply powder and bandage the wound. I also take care of injured and abandoned calves, which I milk from a nearby farm and bottle feed them,” he explains.
In 2010, Atul decided to stop serving his guesthouse to focus solely on his efforts to help these animals. “My savings are starting to dry up. I wanted to set up an official trust that could not only address space constraints, but also provide a portal for animal lovers in the city to help us donate,” he said.
While Atul has previously connected with private veterinarians to secure the neutering of cats and dogs in his area, he said the WAG team has completed more than 6,000 procedures over the past decade.
Currently, WAG’s monthly costs of around Rs 3 lakh per month are largely addressed by fundraising and ‘animal sponsorship’ campaigns. However, their residential fodder is funded by a state government program that provides Rs 75 per cow per day, Atul said.
‘Non-abuse earnings’
In 2014, the WAG also set up an indoor biogas plantwhich Atul said was one of the first places in North Goa where fuel was used for cooking Khichdi to feed the dogs that live on the nearby beaches.
“We have two employees dedicated to mixing cow manure and urine with water and then putting the sludge in the biogas digester. I believe that all cattle compounds and gaushalas should have the option to generate income from their livestock without overusing them. This biogas can also be used to make eco-friendly products like incense and floor cleaners,” he said. “With such sustainable systems, people will not abandon even their dairy cows, which, after serving their families for about 15 years, are often sent to slaughterhouses.”
Atul says that while cattle healed at WAG are now sent to a gaushala In South Goa, the NGO also organizes adoption camps for dogs and cats, finding several hundred shelters each year.
“Traditionally, animal welfare organizations do not allow visitors to their shelters. But in our experience, donating helps because people can witness their suffering first-hand. For those who adopt our animals, we offer free medical treatments for a year,” he said.
With more than a decade of experience working in animal rescue, Atul said he doesn’t consider himself retired, pointing out that he’s working much harder now than his business.
“Even if one doesn’t particularly love animals, they can always help such organizations with their management and funding, which is a full-time job in itself. There is a lot of suffering involved. It’s sad that we lose young animals to abuse because they never even get a chance to live a decent life. But we must continue to focus on the positives,” he noted.
“Historically, all the great minds have one thing in common – they realize that until you respect animals and recognize their rights, there will be no peace among mankind. India is one of the biggest rabies carriers and we can solve the problem [to an extent] with our sterilization programs. By keeping livestock off the streets, we can also prevent road accidents from collisions that lead to the deaths of hundreds of people,” he stressed.
If you are an Indian bank account holder and want to help Atul for his cause, you can Transfer money to the following details:
Bank name – HDFC
A/C Name – Animal Welfare in Goa WAG
A/C NO. – 50200001468772
IFSC: HDFC0001972
To volunteer with WAG, you can fill out form.
Edited by Yoshita Rao
