COIMBATORE: Not every career shift begins with a resignation letter. Sometimes, it begins with restlessness. For Naresh Akil, that feeling meant leaving an IT desk in Bengaluru and returning to Coimbatore to found Thozhuvam, a sanctuary that offers abused and abandoned animals a second chance at life.
Set near Pooluvapatti at the foothills of the Western Ghats, Thozhuvam does not resemble a typical farm. A rooster crows in the distance, guinea pigs squeak in their enclosure, and a rescued horse nudges curiously at visitors standing along a wooden fence. Moving from one shelter to another is Akil, pausing to greet each animal as though it were his family.
A 27-year-old MBA graduate, Akil once followed a conventional path, working in a private IT firm in Bengaluru. Despite professional stability, he felt something was missing. His connection with animals, nurtured since childhood, continued to pull him in another direction.
“I realised that I wanted to do something meaningful with animals,” he says. He began volunteering with animal rescuers, NGOs and a private sanctuary in Bengaluru. There, he witnessed the realities of abandonment and neglect, often rooted in impulse pet ownership or lack of awareness. This strengthened his resolve to create a space focused on care and education.
In October 2025, he returned to his hometown and established Thozhuvam. Within months, the sanctuary grew into a refuge for animals carrying difficult pasts.
“More than 90% of the animals here were abused, abandoned or rescued,” Akil explains.
Today, the sanctuary shelters cows, horses, a camel, pigs, goats, turkeys, pigeons and roosters. It is also home to turtles, snakes, cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils and hedgehogs. Some arrived injured, while others were left behind by owners who could no longer care for them.
Among them is a goat that was once hesitant around people but now approaches visitors confidently during feeding time, a quiet sign of trust restored.
Akil is clear that Thozhuvam is not designed for spectacle. It functions primarily as an educational space. Visitors pay a nominal entry fee that supports the animals’ care. In return, they receive guided tours where species behaviour, feeding habits and responsible ownership are discussed in detail.
Children form the heart of this initiative. “Children are often the reason an animal enters a home and becomes a part of the family. So it’s important that they know how to take care of them responsibly so that they are never abandoned,” he says.
During these visits, young participants learn how to approach animals gently, recognise signs of stress and understand their needs. For 11-year-old Dharshan, who visited with his school, the experience was different from what he expected.
“I thought we would just see animals and return, similar to a zoo,” he says. “But we learned how to feed them and how to be gentle with them. I liked the guinea pigs the most.”
The sanctuary consciously avoids practices that prioritise entertainment over animal welfare.
“We don’t put a snake around a visitor’s neck for photographs like they do in some places,” Akil says. “Instead, we teach people about snakes.”
Sessions include identifying species, understanding their ecological role and learning what to do during a snake encounter or in case of a bite. Information on medical response and trained snake catchers is also shared, addressing fear through awareness.
Beyond the sanctuary, Akil and his team conduct outreach programmes in schools, colleges and residential communities. These sessions focus on coexistence, safe practices and informed action.
Thozhuvam also organises free adoption drives for newborn and rehabilitated animals ready to move into safe homes, ensuring that rescue efforts extend into long-term care. Akil’s engagement with nature goes beyond land. A certified freediving instructor, he introduces children to the basics of water safety and open-water survival. He sees these lessons as part of building respect for the natural world.
Looking ahead, he hopes to expand Thozhuvam’s educational initiatives through summer camps centred on wildlife studies, animal health and responsible handling practices. His aim is simple yet far-reaching: to nurture a generation that views animals not as possessions, but as living beings deserving dignity.
As evening settles over the sanctuary, Akil finishes another round of feeding while a group of children watches closely. Patiently, he shows them how to approach a rescued goat without startling it.
For him, Thozhuvam is more than a shelter. It is a space where animals find safety and where people learn how to offer it.
(Edited by Dinesh Jefferson E)