Friendicoes pauses rescue operations in Delhi due to space and funds crunch

On Thursday, the NGO put out an appeal for adoption and donation on social media and urged people to come forward and foster some rescues

With a capacity to shelter just a little over 400 dogs, Friendicoes, the animal NGO in Delhi’s Defence Colony, has hit pause on their rescue missions, due to a massive space crunch.

The NGO said it is sheltering 1,100 dogs but has space only for 400. (HT)

“This place is currently home to around 1,100 dogs. We are functioning on almost six months of credit from our suppliers and there are no more funds to fall back on,” said Geeta Seshamani, vice-president, Friendicoes.

On Thursday, the NGO put out an appeal for adoption and donation on social media and urged people to come forward and foster some rescues.

“There is overcrowding due to the dismal rate of adoption. Most of the dogs we rescue or those who are abandoned here are either old or are differently abled dogs. People don’t want to adopt them because it’s a bigger commitment than adopting a pedigreed puppy,” said Tandrali Kuli who works there.

Friendicoes was set up in the ’70s and was registered as a society in 1979. Apart from around 1,100 dogs, it’s also home to cats, bulls and horses. Apart from feeding stray dogs, rescuing injured ones, taking on abandoned ones, Friendicoes also lent a helping hand when the Yamuna river rose to dangerous levels this year, leading to eviction of those living near the river.

“Since inception, we have tried to expand operations and help as many animals as possible. But such rescue missions like the one we carried out during the Yamuna flooding added to our financial stress,” said Seshamani.

As of now, there are 80 dogs enrolled in their adoption programme – with dogs like Souffle, a seven-year-old pitbull, awaiting a home for the last five years.

There are 175 horses, 300 bulls and cattle, and 235 cats at the shelter right now. “Taking care of the bigger animals also costs money, and that takes a toll on our accounts,” said Kuli.

The organisation relies mostly on public donations and subsidies from the government for sterilisation programs, with a small portion of the fund also coming from the clinics operational under Friendicoes. While their monthly expenditure can vary from 90 lakhs to one crore rupees, to recover from the current dearth of funds, the organisation would need at least two crore rupees.

“There should be a government scheme that ensures that funds are allocated to us regularly. Apart from that, people should come forward and contribute to the cause, and adopt rescue dogs. If a few families make it a tradition to contribute and donate to animal shelter homes during festival season, it will be of huge help,” said Seshamani.

In 2015 too Friendicoes had faced a similar crunch of funds, following which they had issued an open call for help. “Soon after, people of Delhi had come forward. Social media campaigns and crowdfunding had saved the organisation. Within the next couple of years, we recovered and spread our operations to Gurugram as well as Noida, and started an initiative to feed street dogs in 2019,” said Seshamani.