A refuge for voiceless rescues

‘All Creatures Great and Small’ currently houses about 750 or more rescued animals—horses, cattle, birds, monkeys, and almost 500 dogs.
Various animals at ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, a shelter for rescues in Faridabad | Kabir Jhangiani
Various animals at ‘All Creatures Great and Small’, a shelter for rescues in Faridabad | Kabir Jhangiani

Bulbul, the blind horse, prancing in excitement in the stable; an emu and a mongrel named Pappu playing in the emu enclosure; and Bhim, a buffalo casually lounging in his pen. These are common sights one will witness on a visit to ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ (ACGS), a 2.5-acre animal sanctuary in Selakhari village, Faridabad. When we entered what animal lovers might call a paradise on a Thursday afternoon, we were greeted by a pack of dogs who have made ACGS their permanent home. Established by human rights activist Anjali Gopalan (64) in 2012, the shelter currently houses about 750 or more rescued animals—horses, cattle, birds, monkeys, and almost 500 dogs.

Though an animal rights activist for ages, Gopalan mentioned that, over the years, her understanding of animal rights evolved. “I realised that if we, as a species, have to survive, we should start looking at life in continuum. It cannot be one species versus another.”

Her zeal to create a better place for animals surfaced when she witnessed the appalling state of animals while volunteering at an animal shelter in Delhi. While ACGS started as a shelter for dogs, its location in a rural area resulted in a number of other animals coming in. As we roamed around the sanctuary—it has specific zones for larger animals and even birds—Gopalan elaborated, “In many ways, ACGS grew organically as we learnt new things about the animals”.

A loving menagerie
The sanctuary’s name has been inspired by British veterinarian James Herriot’s book by the same name. ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ can also refer to the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful about how God made the world equal. Both the book and the hymn echo ACGS’ motto—a place without barriers for animals.

Apart from two full-time vets who visit the sanctuary daily and are constantly on-call for emergencies, the ACGS team has around 20 people working as animal rehabilitators. Guriya, a member of the Naz Foundation, East of Kailash, is one of the people who live at ACGS. When asked how she felt about staying here, she said, “It is fun to be always around animals.”

The funds come from Gopalan’s job at the Naz Foundation—she is part of the senior management team here—as well as her personal savings. ACGS also raises money through crowd-funding initiatives and donors. There are a number of organisations that support them as well—DLF Foundation (the philanthropic arm of DLF Ltd) funds the ACGS clinic and Delhi-NCR based French bakery L’Opéra sends them leftover bread every day.

Witnessing how well treated and loved these animals are at the shelter, one might wonder if they want to leave at all. However, the animals are also put up for adoption for those who want to open their homes to a rescue.

Lessons from the best
Echoing the words by Herriot ‘If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans,’ Gopalan shared, “My father used to say children who are brought up with animals are humane.”

So, how have all these years been like with such a family? Gopalan concluded, “I think I have become a forgiving person since I started this work.”

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