Sharon St. Joan
Having known the VSPCA and Pradeep Nath, the Founder and President, for several years, four of us from Best Friends Animal Society were able to visit the sanctuary in January 2007. The sanctuary is filled with trees, plants, and flowers; all the buildings in each animal area were freshly painted and immaculately clean. All the workers were very gentle with the animals.
Driving through the city of Visakhapatnam, we saw that most of the street dogs had notched ears–a sign of the effectiveness of VSPCA’s spay/neuter program throughout the city, over many years.
The several hundred cows and calves, rescued from illegal slaughtering operations, are all taken out during the day to graze and are also fed a healthy diet. Rescued cats have a lovely inside/outside area filled with plants and many places to sit, hide, or play. Star tortoises rescued from the illegal wildlife trade roam in an enclosed grassy area. Monkeys are in large, clean, caged areas and receive individual attention. Birds move from smaller, secure areas to large flight aviaries as they recover, to be eventually released, when possible.
A biogas facility, which operates with cow manure, provides energy for running the sanctuary. The VSPCA conducts extensive awareness/humane education programs in schools. Well-trained response teams conduct wide-ranging flood rescue operations, when needed, throughout the district. Regular clinics and free veterinary care are provided to many villages. The VSPCA has halted snake abuse during religious festivals, has eliminated the poaching of endangered sea turtles along the beaches of Visakhapatnam, and has worked successfully with village people to stop poaching in bird refuges.
The Forest Service relies on Pradeep Nath to help with wildlife smuggling cases and most recently to travel along the coast to investigate the deaths of sea turtles.
The VSPCA, Pradeep Nath, and his staff run one of the most outstanding sanctuaries in India, in terms of the breadth and scope of the work that they do for animals and in terms of the profound changes they bring about in attitudes and behavior towards animals. They are exceptionally effective and dedicated, and we would give them the highest possible recommendation for support.