Stray Animals — a sad situation
By Aarav, 14
This year, during winter break, I visited my family in India. I have been visiting India over the years , but this was the visit after the pandemic. I was 11 years old when I visited last , and this year I was 14, so older and maybe more observant.
This year, I went to states in India for the very first time — Mumbai and Goa
Mumbai is the financial and commercial capital of India. I visited the beautiful Gateway of India , Elephanta caves , Marine Drive and Bandra Bandstand.
Goa is a unique state with beautiful beaches and warmth, both in the climate and people. The culture is a mix of Portuguese and Indian and is reflected in the food , the buildings and the general vibe.
However this time one thing that kept bothering me was the stray animals in particular dogs, that I saw especially in Goa. Maybe I was more aware and sensitive this visit, because I have a pet dog since 2021.
I stayed in a colony in Goa. Within this colony there were around 6 stray dogs per block of homes. Outside on the beach there were stray dogs between each shack. There were stray dogs in the market place , in the streets , everywhere.
I was told , and I also observed that this dogs were territorial. It was almost like a gang war when dogs crossed each other’s territory.
In my area there were about 6 dogs who sat around the pool or near homes. My grandmother, also a dog lover, would feed them biscuits. I joined her and it became a daily ritual where the pack of 6 would follow us in the evening to get there share of biscuits.
I started to get to know them better. I noticed that one of the dogs has their ears bitten. Grandma and I named him “kankatta” or one with the bitten ear. We called his KK for short because we did not want others to make fun of him. I soon realised that KK was the leader of the pack. He used to call his friends , when he noticed us. I suspect his ear got bit when he got into a fight.
One of the dogs in the pack was always scared. He would stay in the background and would come forward only after much coaxing. I hate to think what might have happened to him to become so scared.
I asked my grandma about these strays since I started noticing them only this time. My grandma told me that are lot of stray animals in India in almost all states and cities. The reason being that animal control and care is not where it should be.
I am used to my dog Axl, getting vaccinated , getting food on time and getting a lot of love from us. There are stray or abandoned animals in USA as well, but they are taken away by animal shelters and most of time eventually adopted by people.
In India shelters are coming up , but the stray population is very large in comparison. These dogs like KK, need our help since they have been abandoned and abused for a very long time.
I also spotted stray cows this time. There was a cow on the road and people were hitting her to remove her from the road. It was a really sad sight to see.
I am trying to figure out things one can do to help stray animals:
- Adopt a pet if you can
- Donate money to a rescue shelters and non profits For example:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-the-streeties-of-bangalore-india
- Donate your time to non profits and rescue shelters.
- Feed animals in your neighborhood
- Give them comfort and love them since they could be emotionally hurt.
- Treat them or call a medical professional if they are hurt or have a disability.
- Fins out your local rescue shelter and call them , or tag them on social media when you find strays
- Protest against abandoning animals.
Thank you for reading — I hope to share more on my efforts with stray animals soon!
