To date, Waste Warriors has rescued 45 cows and bulls from the streets of Dehradun. The majority of these animals arrive with a variety of injuries and ailments for which they receive treatment from a small but dedicated team.
The Kanji House in Kedarpuram, Dehradun is a thriving bovine rescue centre, currently home to 30 cows and bulls rescued from the streets of Dehradun city.
Surprisingly, only about four months ago, this local amenity was lying unused after its inauguration two years ago. Jodie Underhill, CEO and co-founder of Waste Warriors, an NGO committed to tackling India’s garbage problem, discovered the shelter when she rescued a highly distressed calf that had been let loose on a busy street. When she spoke to the local Municipality, they sent a vehicle for the animal. But Jodie, who hails from England, heard the driver say something disturbing: “Let’s take it to the cow jail”. That's when she discovered the empty cow shelter.
The Municipality didn’t have the funds to run the shelter, so after several months of negotiations, Waste Warriors was permitted to take on Kanji House after signing an MoU with the Dehradun Municipal Corporation on March 31, 2015.
The slaughter of cows and bulls is illegal in many states of India as they are considered holy, but when a cow stops producing milk or a bull is born, they are often left on the streets to fend for themselves. Apart from causing traffic hazards, this forces the animals to forage through dustbins and waste containers to survive.
To date, Waste Warriors has rescued 38 cows and bulls from the streets of Dehradun. The majority of these animals arrive with a variety of injuries and ailments for which they receive treatment from a small but dedicated team. The centre is manned round the clock to ensure the welfare of the animals.
The organisation later received authorisation to remove cows and bulls allowed to roam freely on the streets by their owners, which is an offence as per the Protection of Cow Progeny Act 1997. At Kanji House, the owners of the confiscated animals are fined Rs 200 per day and charged a daily fodder fee of Rs 70 as set by the Municipality, when they come to claim their animals. The NGO believes that news of the confiscation and fines is spreading amongst the cow owning community and is proving to be a clear deterrent.
Veterinarian Dr Rakesh Nautiyal who visits the rescue centre once a week to check on the animals and is on call at other times says, "I see the number of stray animals on the streets here reducing rapidly since Kanji House became operational again. Also, now we have a place for the sick and injured animals which is definitely a boon to the city's animal population."
Animal rescue is not easy; many of the animals are not used to being handled and are afraid of human beings. "We have rescued huge bulls that are aggressive due to fear and pain, calves that are hungry and distraught after being separated from their mothers and have often worked through the night to carry out physiotherapy on animals that cannot stand up," says Jodie.
She recalls an incident where one animal that was dead on arrival at the shelter, had its ears eaten off by dogs whilst it was still alive. It had been left on the road, unable to stand for two days, and yet no one had reported it or tried to save it. "Animal rescue is often heart-breaking, but it’s also rewarding, they know you are trying to help them. Ofcourse, we can’t save them all, but at least they leave this world feeling loved instead of frightened and unwanted at the side of a road. These animals have no voice, but they feel pain and love just like we do,” says Jodie.
Waste Warriors is now launching an cow adoption scheme where people can donate Rs 2,000 per month to cover the costs of taking care of a cow/bull. Participants in the scheme will receive an adoption certificate and regular updates about the welfare and progress of their adopted animal.
Sonali Gupta, an animal rescue informant says, "I reported a injured bull near my house that had burns on its hind end. The bull was captured in a very efficient and humane manner and thanks to being treated at the Kanji house by the Waste Warriors team, it has recovered quite amazingly".
People in Dehradun can call the helpline number on Waste Warriors' Facebook page to report any injured or distressed cows and bulls as well as follow the progress of the animals being cared for at Kanji House.
The NGO is currently in need of monetary help to run the shelter since the three-month trial period is over. Members of the public and volunteers can also visit the shelter, feed the animals or take a tour around the shelter. For any contributions, Jodie can be contacted on email at jodie@wastewarriors.org
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