The lockdown imposed in many states owing to the second wave of Covid-19 has affected the strays adversely. Most of the stray dogs and cattle, who rely on human beings for their source of food, are left starving as people are scared to step out of their homes. Closure of shops and roadside eateries has also added to their misery. In such a scenario, animal lovers of the Vellore district in Tamil Nadu have come to their rescue and are making sure no stray goes to sleep on an empty stomach or worse, dies of starvation.
As per New Indian Express, sixteen volunteers attached to New World Animal Rescue (NWAR) have been preparing food at a makeshift kitchen on the premises of the organisation’s office at Pallikonda. Then they pack them in small packets and ferry them to distribution points set up in various localities of the city. From there, a few volunteers offer food to the stray animals.
According to the chairperson of the organisation, S Sugumar, they fed about 350 stray dogs in areas like Gudiyatham and Pernambut on Monday. The government has imposed a complete lockdown in the state starting from May 24.
The organisation is now also planning to expand its range in other districts as well and feed the strays in Tirupathur and Ranipet as it did during the first wave of Covid.
Last year too, NWAR had stepped in to feed the strays. Apart from street dogs, they also offered food to monkeys who are usually found straying on hills and hilltop temples.
This year, the animal husbandry department (AHD) in the Vellore district has provided 10 bags of rice and 15 bags of wheat bran to the organisation. Each bag contains 25 kg of grains. However, since they are looking to expand the service, they have been urging residents to donate so that they can continue feeding the strays.
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