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Owners abandon Char Dham pack animals in Uttarakhand as lockdown bites
Animal rights activists in the state are trying to raise funds to rehabilitate these animals by their owners who are pout of work after the Char Dham yatra was cancelled.
The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday earmarked ₹2.50 crore to take care of destitute bovines even as it grapples with a large number of donkeys and horses abandoned by their owners who are unable to take care of them during the lockdown due to lack of work.
Animal rights activists in the state are trying to raise funds to rehabilitate these abandoned animals.
These animals are mostly used to transport goods and ferrying pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines, but due to the yatra being cancelled, the owners of these animals say they are finding it difficult to take care of them without a steady income.
Gauri Maulekhi, member secretary of People for Animals Uttarakhand (PFA) said since the lockdown was imposed, there was a sudden spike in donkeys and horses found stray on roads in Dehradun, Haldwani and US Nagar.
“Last week itself I got a call from the urban local body in Dehradun that around 100 donkeys were found as strays on the roads of Dehradun. They don’t have sufficient food to eat and there is not enough space to keep them in shelter homes. These equines are mostly used in mining activities and for supplying goods during yatra season. Now with yatra being cancelled due to the lockdown, many such animals have been abandoned,” said Maulekhi.
She added that the major problem that these animals face is that unlike dogs and cows, donkeys cannot feed on waste from domestic households and need a high protein diet.
“Due to lack of sufficient food, many of the donkeys have been exposed to severe malnutrition. Ten donkeys, mostly foals and pregnant females, were sent to our shelter in Chakrata by the urban local body; and they were totally malnourished, which could be seen from their coat and eyes. It seemed like they had not eaten proper food in at least 10-15 days,” Maulekhi said.
She said that their organisation is trying to set up a rehabilitation centre and collecting funds to take care of the animals. She further added that many donkeys, which are used on the Gangotri shrine route, have been abandoned in places like Dehradun.
The PFA has started an online fundraising campaign to help these animals.
Former Union Minister Maneka Gandhi, founder and chairperson of People for Animals (PFA) took to Twitter to hail efforts to take care of the animals.
“PFA Uttarakhand is taking in horses abandoned by their owners, as tourism and yatras have stopped due to COVID-19 by setting up a rehabilitation centre for them,” she tweeted.
Rekha Arya, minister for animal husbandry in the state who chaired a meeting of the state animal welfare board on Tuesday directed officials to ensure that no animal goes hungry during the lockdown period.
“A budget of ₹2.50 crores has been allocated for the destitute bovines, cattle, and for their maintenance and care in this year. Of this budget, ₹2.30 crore has been kept aside for arranging fodder. The budget should be equally divided among districts and ensure that our animals are taken care of. Information in this regard should also be obtained from NGOs, animal lovers also, to understand how to work better with improved facilities,” said Arya.
