Building Coastal Resiliency for Biophilic Visakhapatnam
Vision
VSPCA is an international nonprofit dedicated to sustaining animal and plant life in Visakhapatnam that recognizes biodiversity as an essential aspect of human survival.
Habitat Conservation
Using novel processes that retain all animals in the community, we engage with the city’s residents to sustain all natural habitats
Action
We don’t wait to act. As grassroots in Vizag, we hold ourselves answerable for the region’s plant and animal life and future
Our Model
We believe in E.O. Wilson’s concept of ”Half-Earth.” We are striving towards creating “Marine Protected Areas,” making Vizag a “Tree City” and ensuring that all animals in urban Vizag have care and protection
Methods
We collaborate with fisher communities and indigenous people on cultural knowledge to augment scientific information. Our work is rooted in outreach, creating awareness, data monitoring/analysis
Mission
Individual Animals
Protecting every animal in the city
Animal populations
Species conservation
Veganism
Environmental and Social Justice
1. Individual animals
The first pillar of our work is to tend to the pain and suffering of every individual animal in Vizag, and work to eliminate animal cruelty. We believe every animal is a core animal in the community. Endangered or domesticated, each contributes in society. Animals are individuals and each individual is deeply rooted in their family and certain “culture.”
We heed the research of Carl Safina who describes the deep and familial cultures of whales, macaws and primates – and what truly brings about beauty in Nature.
In our belief dogs, cats and cattle domesticated by humans, have cultures intricately woven into human culture. Domesticated animals are deeply invested in us for our well-being. We must therefore, deeply invest in them for their well-being.
Community dogs are members of our sea turtle conservation team. They are guard animals to businesses in Vizag. They are forever bound to us. Intelligent, our best friends and the finest of companions, they exemplify why every individual animal is a core animal to VSPCA.
2. Animal populations
The second pillar of our work is about keeping animal families together and preserving their species. This pillar arose from observing a lone mother turtle come ashore in 1996. Protecting her and her hatchings has now blossomed into our sea turtle conservation program. Individual animals are “spokespersons” for their family, communities, populations and cultures
Today, many animal spokespersons are members of dwindling populations. Animals play critical roles in their habitats and impact the living web in ways humans may not have fully understood. Our first mother turtle taught us life lessons – for ourselves and for our ecosystems.
When populations of animals like the sea turtle, shark or macaque are imperilled by habitat loss and ecosystem degradation by human activity, humans are bound to lose what nature freely provides us with:- clean air, water and soil; essential to all life. There is no life without these essential elements.
From dogs to sea turtles, sharks to primates, we understand the value of- natural habitats, native species and generations of domesticated animals.
3. Veganism
The third important pillar of our work is standing for and promoting veganism. To us, Veganism does not imply moral superiority nor does it mean we believe every human has the capacity to choose a healthy and vegan lifestyle beginning with food.
The homeless person, the 10th generation fisherwoman, the indigenous tribesman, the mentally challenged or physically disabled poor in India have no access to healthy plant-based food options. They are concerned about getting one meal a day.
Our path to veganism revolves around understanding the resources individuals and communities lack, whereby they overfish or traffick in animals to feed and care for themselves.
Our journey into veganism has found every sane individual as reasonable and open to understanding. People understand that they are part of the environmental problems faced by humanity.
Applying methods of Radical Listening, we listen to the poor, marginalized and generational people for their solutions to have them consider plant-based living for their health and well being.
