The journey to the Chinchali Fair, an annual festival in India, brings great hardship to thousands of bullocks, ponies, and horses who are forced to run for two days straight—for as far as 170 miles—hauling carts jam-packed with large families. Along the route, the animals often collapse from exhaustion, injuries, dehydration, and despair.

Animal Rahat wants to provide the more than 2,000 bullocks and ponies making this journey with vitally needed food, water, rest, and medical treatment. They are prepared to carry out the following plans but can do so only with the support of caring people like you:

  •  Prevent as many already overworked bullocks, ponies, and horses as possible from having to make the trip at all by arranging for buses to allow people to get to the fair without using animals (Animal Rahat’s goal is to supply 60 buses to transport people from 20 villages, which could allow more than 1,200 bullocks and ponies to avoid this grueling
  • Publicize the bus service by hiring performers to stage street plays in numerous villages in advance of the fair in order to show how using Animal Rahat’s buses would prevent animals from suffering
  • Set up compulsory rest camps with food and clean drinking water for animals and invite travelers to stop and rest their animals
  • Post billboards along the routes to show which animal practices are punishable offenses under the law
  • Rally local police to ensure enforcement of anti-cruelty laws
  • Provide animals suffering from wounds, dehydration, lameness, or other maladies with emergency medical treatment

2014-02_Chinchali%20Fair%20lame%20bullock%20getting%20leg%20wrapped_JPG

2014-02_Chinchali%20Fair%20lame%20bullock%20on%20truck_JPG

Last year, this bullock came into one of our camps with severe lameness. The owner knew that he should hire a truck to transport the animal home, but he didn’t have enough money. So Animal Rahat immediately treated the bullock—giving him intravenous fluids and painkillers and wrapping the injury to immobilize it—and hired a truck to take him home. Without Animal Rahat, this gentle soul would have been made to walk another 11 miles on a severely injured leg before reaching home!

For the thousands of animals who will be in need of vital help from Animal Rahat next month—and the tens of thousands more aided by Animal Rahat throughout the year—please make a gift today in support of this crucial work. Thank you so much for your generosity. Through the compassion of people like you, Animal Rahat is changing people’s minds and improving animals’ lives.