CHENNAI: As the summer sun rises from its slumber and roars into the afternoon, the siesta of stray animals and pets in Chennai takes a plunge into darkness. Thanks to initiatives by the government along with NGOs, these animals have found a way to beat the heat. Even as we try to shelter ourselves from the piercing rays, we can do our bit to keep our four-legged friends safe.
Senior veterinarian Dr GR Baranidharan of The Ark 24 hrs Veterinary Clinic gives emphasis on providing shelter and water for animals such as dogs and cattle, till the conclusion of the summer season. “Dogs and cats do not sweat as much as humans do. The presence of oral mucous membranes helps in evaporative cooling, which is why they pant a lot.
However, it will be difficult for them when the temperature crosses more than 40 degrees Celsius. It is important to keep water for them during this summer outside our houses,” says Baranidharan, adding that the chances of heatstroke are high.
Here are a few organisations that are aiding stray animals get through the kathiri veyil.
Heaven for Animals
In 2021, Heaven For Animals was established in Chennai, as the first-ever cloud kitchen for community animals in the country. With more than 1,100 volunteers, it provides fresh, nutritious meals to over 4,000 community dogs daily. “This year, we are providing more than 9,000 bowls of water in areas like Marina Beach, Besant Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur Beach, and so on,” says PrakaashGanth, founder of Heaven For Animals, speaking about their summer initiatives.
For details, call: 9585338338, 9786986986
Blue Cross of India, Chennai
The organisation established in 1964 has been working closely with the Greater Chennai Corporation and other local bodies near Chennai, Puducherry and Neyveli to implement the Animal Birth Control programme on street and community animals. During summer, they also join the water bowl initiative. Dr S Chinny Krishna, co-founder and chairman of the Blue Cross of India, Chennai, shares “We distribute almost 1,000 water bowls in areas like Maduravoyal, Kancheepuram, Avadi, and Ambattur. We also run three mobile hospitals where each one is a mini hospital. It is equipped with an air conditioned and full feature operation theatre, an autoclave and refrigerator, on-board oxygen, power inverter, spine board, catching nets and even spacious boarding space for two animals.”
For details, call: 04446274999
ScanFoundation India
With initiatives to sponsor cats and dogs and also facilitating virtual adoption, ScanFoundation India has worked for the welfare of animals. “We have placed almost 2,000 water bowls all over nine districts in the State. Volunteers have been attending to the needs of the stray dogs and every animal is taken care of. They are monitored to check if they carry any diseases which can be at high risk during summers,” shares Dr Vijaya Priya, ScanFoundation India.
For details, call: 9487487000
People For Cattle in India
The Water Bowl challenge was a summer initiative for People For Cattle in India (PFCI) since 2014 to provide access to fresh drinking water for community animals and birds. Arun Prasanna, founder of PFCI shares, “We have been consistently creating awareness and providing water to the animals for almost ten years now. We started this challenge with almost 400-500 bowls. This year we are providing 5,000 water bowls. In 2023, almost 4,000 bowls were distributed across Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, and Tiruppur by PFCI.”
For details, call: 9884071136
SANS Animal Welfare Trust
Rescuers and feeders have set out to work with the non-governmental organisation SANS Animal Welfare Trust for the welfare of animals, especially in summer. Sudha Chandrasekar, founder and chairperson of the Trust says, “We had been regularly feeding cats, dogs and birds in and around areas of Marina Beach, Secretariat etc. Even though initiatives like water bowls are necessary, we need to also focus on plans like planting trees since providing shade to the animals is also necessary. Yearly, 300-400 saplings are supplied by our Trust.”
For details, call: 7010324993