Issue Jan-Feb 2007

Hats off to CAL

A Home for Homeless Animals

Founded in January 1992 by Mrs. Irani Mukherjee, Circle of Animal Lovers has been proactively attending to stray dogs and cats in and around Delhi. Since then, it has been dedicated to providing a voice to all animals that have been abandoned and have been victims of cruelty and neglect. Now the organization manages shelters and hospitals along with fully equipped veterinary centers, competent veterinary doctors, ambulances and mobile clinics looking after dogs, cats, monkeys, donkeys and mules. Equal right for animals as human rights and interference free life for the all animals are the main points, CAL strongly advocates for.

The activities of Circle of Animal Lovers are monitored through its three Animal hospitals cum shelters located at Neb Sarai, Delhi. The three shelters are located in three different plots. The two animal shelters are three storied buildings housing sick and disabled dogs and the hospital cum shelter is a four storied building with well equipped veterinary facilities looking after the operated sterilized dogs. The shelter hospital offers modern diagnostic facilities like a well-equipped pathology laboratory, X-Ray, operation theatre, and intensive care unit. It has spacious rooms and the dogs are not kept in kennels. The ambience of the hospital is very animal friendly and the staffs are all trained to handle animals in gentle manner a. The CAL hospital also offers boarding facility for those pet owners who would like to have a peaceful holiday, knowing that their pet is in good hands. Ambulances run day and night in the streets of Delhi and NCR to pick up the abandoned, abused and wounded animals off the roads.

Spreading across 5110 sq. m of land, CAL has a shelter in Sohna, Haryana which houses a good number of abandoned cows, donkeys, dogs and cats.

The inspiring angel behind CAL is Mrs Irani Mukherjee, who is an animal welfare activist since childhood. Her passion and dedication for the cause can be realized from the fact that the lady has sacrificed anything and everything even motherhood.

CAL mainly emphasizes on canine birth control and rabies free Delhi, so, targeting especially to the free roaming dog population of Delhi and NCR. Animal Birth Control programmes have been advocated as a humane method of stabilizing the dog population and rabies control. Street dogs are captured, surgically neutered, vaccinated against rabies and re-released in the same area where they were caught. CAL aims to produce a smaller, healthier, more stable street dog population in which rabies is better controlled. CAL has joined hands with Municipal Corporation Delhi and is proactively engaged in sterilizing stray dogs of Delhi and surrounding areas. Currently, CAL is able to sterilize an average of 250 - 300 dogs, per month or 3,000 - 3,600 dogs per year.

Besides, CAL provides assistance to any injured or sick animal found on the streets and provides free medical treatment to pets of economically disadvantaged people. Working donkeys of the poor donkey owners are provided treatment and medical aid on regular basis. The society receiving over 50 calls a day makes every effort to reach out to the immediate welfare requirement of those distressed animals.

To make Delhi free from rabies, CAL vaccinates the sterilized dogs at its shelters and stray dogs on the road. Besides, CAL organizes vaccination camps in different parts of city to get the stray dogs vaccinated against rabies.

The society incurs a huge expense in feeding the hundreds of dogs and other animals in the streets of Delhi and in the shelters of Delhi and Haryana. The animals are given a healthy diet ensuring their consistent growth.

The mobile van with fully equipped veterinary equipment and a veterinarian runs in the streets of Delhi every day looking for sick and injured animals. The animals are treated and monitored till they recuperate.

CAL is extremely sensitive to cruelty against animals and promptly responds to any such information through its special trained team. The animal is immediately rescued, attended upon and if required brought to the shelter.

Apart from its routine duties, CAL conducts awareness campaigns, seminars, debate competitions and other programmes from time to time to educate the masses on the humane and ethical approach to stray and abandoned animals. CAL hopes to change the attitude of people who detest the creatures on the road and evoke compassion and sympathy in the public and provide a better life to these neglected animals.