Dear Well Wishers and Generous supporters,

The year 2019 was enriching as well as highly challenging for accomplishing the tasks benefitting thousands of animals and restoring their welfare in our region. We are have passed the year with a sense of achievement and entering into the New Year with a lot of confidence in fulfilling our responsibilities for the sentient beings and Nature.

Initiatives undertaken

  1. Community Dog Protection
  2. Cat Protection Program
  3. Shandy Visits – a combating measure for Cattle Trafficking
  4. Withstanding the floods and incessant rains
  5. Dr. Paw
  6. Participating in the First National Conference for the Conservation of Sea Turtles-Representing the efforts of VSPCA in National Platform.
  7. Critical Rescues and Recoveries

Community Dog Protection

Restoring the survival of the community animals despite retaliating conflicts with has been an integral part while accomplishing this initiative. The main intention is to nurture co-existence between the humans and Canines through our lobbying, rescue, education and awareness approach. Our Spay/Neuter program brings a harmony between people and dogs as it is the humane way of resolving menace. Our Awareness/Education campaigns spread the message of conflict mitigation to the public. Rescue/Rehabilitation and feeding works help in saving the distressed animals.

Activities

  • Spay/Neuter
  • Education/Awareness
  • Rescue/Rehabilitation
  • Feeding
  • Regulation of Illegal Pet Breeding
  • Lobbying Strategies

Impacts

VSPCA could harmonize the conflicts between people and dogs in Visakhapatnam ensuring a safe survival of the Community Dogs without any Retaliation.

  • No. of Conflict cases handled: 35
  • No. of Dogs Sterilized/ immunized: 1,500
  • No. of Dogs Rescued: 350
  • No. of Dogs benefitted under Feeding Station scheme: 500
  • No. of Cruelty cases handled: 19
  • No. of Raids carried out: 03
  • We have spread our spay/neuter/immunization efforts to the neighbouring district of Vizianagaram.
  • Over 350 canines have been benefited with our rescue/ rehabilitation approach.
  • Ensuring safe survival for over 250 community dogs through our Awareness/Education undertaken in 35 different localities. Thus, curbing the displacements, cruelties and culling of dogs.

Meet Vasu

Vasu is a community dog stranded into a house due to pack fights among other dogs. She is an affectionate sentient being always wants her human companions. She got injured during the fights which turned into a maggot infection. The entire community wanted her to be removed from the place where she took refuge because of the infection infested her hind limbs while the community complained to the Dog catching unit of the urban local body for removing and displacing her. Vasu might suffered and succumbed to death if there is no noble action taken to mitigate her pain. The Dog Catching unit has given a tip to us and by the information given, the team approached the spot and regularly medicated for getting the wound to be healed. Now after a couple weeks with thorough follow up and multiple visits Vasu is now a darling to all the community people. She has shown her affection and love to us on our empathy which made all her haters fall in love. Now Vas is happily living in her community without any conflict.

Vasu suffering with maggot infested wounds on her hind legs-prior to the treatment.
Vasu with one of the VSPCA team members happily living with her community after due treatment and monitoring.

Cat Protection Program

Cat Protection Program is an initiative accomplished for benefitting the community felines. Cat Meat trade is one of the burning issues which is prevalent in India. To ensure a safe survival for the cats VSPCA has initiated this project by addressing various threats faced by the Cats on the Streets. With awareness to the fishermen since cat colonies occur at their settlements. Our accomplishments include:

1. Spay/Neuter

  • Surveying the potential Cat Colonies.
  • Awareness/Education regarding the humane ways of conflicting Mitigation.
  • Safe Capture, Sterilization/Immunization and Release of Cats.

No. of Cats sterilized: 68

2. Rescue/Rehabilitation

  • Rescuing the Distressed Cats.
  • Rehabilitation and Fostering facility at the shelter.
  • Re-homing or Permanent Refuge.

No. of Cats Rescued and Sheltered: 04   

3. Adoptions

  • Spreading Awareness and adopting shelter animals.
  • Finding Potential Adopters and facilitating adoptions.
  • Monitoring the adopted cats.

No. of Cats facilitated for Adoption: 03

4. Awareness/Education

  • Spreading Awareness-nurturing compassion for Community Animals.
  • Educating about humane handling and resolution of menace with cats.
  • Encouraging the local compassionates in different localities for effective circulation of Ideologies.

No. of Localities campaigned: 76

5. Combating Cat Poachers

  • Interaction with cat poachers and convincing them to seek alternate livelihoods.
  • Prosecutions against notorious cat poachers and Cat Meat Traffickers.
  • Door to Door awareness for the people to have a vigil on Cat Poaching Activities.

No. of gangs combated: 05

6. Cat Shelters

  • Spay/Neuter facility
  • In-house cat dispensary
  • Rehabilitation centre of disabled cats
  • Fostering Center of Kittens
  • Lifetime refuge facility

No. of Cats Refuged: 157

Meet Pandu

Pandu a lone kitten was stranded and frantically searching for her mother and accidentally fell in a sewage channel. Her frightened cries echoing and could reach the nearby people who approached us for help. Our team has successfully got her out from the channel, but due to stress and bone chilling weather outside her temperatures drastically dropped down. She immediately needed help, with our quick action we could shelter her temporarily in a cozy environment under the custody of a compassionate animal lover, Slowly Pandu recovered and bounced back with health and happiness under the loving care of her new mother.

Happy Pandu in his new forever home.
pandu_1
Pandu and Chintu are best friends forever. They always play with each other and are very affectionate pals.

Shandy Visits

Shandy visits being a part of the Cattle Respect program-India has benefitted several thousand Farm Animals with its Lobbying approach and helped in combating issues such as Interstate Cattle Smuggling, Inhumane transportation and Brutal Slaughtering practices with our regular visits to the shandies, minimizing cruelties against the animals and curbing the illegalities in the shandies. We could achieve certain successful scenarios encouraging us to do more for the gentle giants who are highly exploited for human greed.

Accomplishments

  • Visiting Shandies
  • Monitoring the cruelties
  • Vigil against illegal stocking of Cattle
  • Curbing Illegal Transportation
  • Campaigning for humane treatment of Animals
  • Correspondence with the Government for the Development  of shandies

Impacts

With our Continuous and Consistent efforts VSPCA has drastically lowered the number of incoming spent animals to the Government operated shandies which will be illegally possessed by illegal cattle traffickers. Transporters are mandated to follow the Rules and Regulations implemented while transporting the animals. Slowly we are bringing the Government departments to pursue the infrastructural developments which would ease the sufferings of the animals in the shandies.

No. of Visits: 24

Next immediate action protection of calves from illegal trafficking and slaughter.

Withstanding the floods and incessant Rains

Visakhapatnam being in a cyclone prone coast is always vulnerable to devastating cyclone and flooding situations. One such disastrous situation has been witnessed in the months of September and October were delayed monsoons triggered by depressions I the sea caused heavy raining for weeks. This resulted in flash floods which submerged 60% of the shelter for 48 hrs. it has seriously damaged the enclosures food and electric supply for the shelter. Though we have no casualties happened our Shelter Team has jumped in the flooding waters to save the animals which got struck in their enclosures. The exodus was over without depressing casualties, but caused serious damages to the Infrastructures.

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Network for Animal Protection-NetAP for their generous contribution in this tough time.

We also thank Ms. Subbalakshmi, Ms. Mamata and Ms. Jyothi for their support regarding flood relief.

Dr. PAW - Enchanted the specially-abled children

VSPCA organized Dr. Paw program- a therapy session ailing the depressions from the specially abled children and boosting the confidence in them by story telling the survival tales of our Animal Ambassadors. Over Forty children took part with a lot of excitement and amusement. Children were confidently interacting with our Animal Ambassadors under supervision by the team, they were thrilled by the enriching experience and wanted sessions like these regularly.

Dr. Paw sessions with specially-abled children.

Participating in the First National Conference “Save Turtle”

Representing VSPCA’s efforts in the Conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles in Visakhapatnam.

VSPCA has been invited to represent the Conservation Success of Olive Ridley Turtles. The Lakshadweep Administration in collaboration with Dakshin Foundation-Bangalore initiated the first National Conference and invited VSPCA to represent the conservation efforts. The Community Based Olive Ridley Conservation has been presented in the National Domain were over Hundred of the conservation Community took were also a part.

Activities

  • Presenting the Overview of Conservation efforts to the administrators of Lakshadweep, Conservation Community and to the Scientific Community.
  • Poster Presentation to the visitors.
  • Presentation of the Documentary.

Addressing and Acknowledgements

  • There have been various threats addressed as the hindrance for the conservation of Olive Ridley Turtles.
  • As there is a lot of feral animal predation pressure being faced by the vulnerable nesting females who come offshore. Hence we presented regarding Spay/Neuter drives which help in managing the populations of the dogs which combats the conflict Feral Animal Predation.
  • We also acknowledged the involvement of Fishermen Community in combating the poaching of Olive Ridley Turtles back 2 decades ago.

Save Turtle Conference – Poster and Slide Presentations done representing the Conservation efforts  in Visakhapatnam Region

Critical Rescues and Recoveries

Purna - He resides in market place near the VSPCA. He was accidentally wounded on his ear which inflicted very deep wound which can make him vulnerable to parasitic infections giving un bearable pain. On a tip by a local the team has been on constant follow up for the upkeep of Purna. With in a week of treatment and attention Purna has recovered and brought back to life.

Jiddi - He is sweet guy with a tragic story. Jiddi resides in a fishermen settlement who is a favorite of his community. Once a stranger passing on his territory stabbed Jiddi with a butcher Knife. Jiddi frantically climbed the nearby hill in traumatic situation. After few days the locals saw Jiddi with a horrifying injury on his neck and maggots were eating him alive. The people approached us immediately for seeking help. Since Jiddi was traumatic the team has slowly socialized him and gained his trust. After the necessary treatment Jiddi has been relieved from unbearable pain.

This humble soul has bared a lot of trauma until VSPCA extended help. He was fortunate enough that his community could allow him to take refuge in their vicinity despite of the fatal and horrifying aliments he had. He was suffering from skin infection and his deep wound was infested with hundreds of Maggots.

The team immediately rushed to help him and within 40 days his transformations was terrific. Now he is happily living his life with his community with love and affection enveloping around.

He was carrying a Porcupine Quill on his nose since many days. It was painful for him to even quench his thirst as when he bows down the quill gets deeply pierces further.

The team struggled day and night to trace him since he is a timid dog it took time to relieve him from the pain. Finally the team managed to remove the quill from his nose.

An abandoned male calf was stranded on a bust highway – the team rescued and rehabilitated him to the sanctuary.

A parrot astrologer has been confiscated carrying a Parakeet with the help of Forest Department and rehabilitated and facilitating for release into the wild after her complete recovery.

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