The huge lump on this bullock’s neck is a yoke gall injury that has become infected and swollen to the size of a sack of potatoes. Yoke gall occurs when an ill-fitting yoke constantly rubs against the skin of a bullock’s neck. Can you imagine how painful a wound like this would be?

An Animal Rahat staffer spotted this bullock during routine scouting at a sugar mill. The owner, a Mr. Jadhav, had previously been given medicine to apply to the wound and was told to allow the bullock to rest. However, Jadhav took only half the advice—he applied the medicine but did not rest the bullock, which is why the injury got worse. When Jadhav did not respond to our admonitions, our scout approached the sugar mill yard supervisor, who agreed not to allow Jadhav to sell his sugar to the mill until the bullock had healed. Presto! Jadhav quickly changed his tune. Our veterinarians then surgically drained the wound (which contained literally liters of pus), provided medicinal ointment and painkillers, and ordered the owner to rest the bullock.

Securing this type of cooperation from sugar mill staff is a huge milestone for Animal Rahat. We’ve worked diligently for years to cultivate this kind of relationship with the sugar mills because, as seen in this example, they can exert financial pressure to get uncooperative owners to follow our instructions. Hurray!

As seen in the photo, two bulls are brought together and surrounded by a ring of spectators. The bulls’ horns are sharpened to ensure that every charge will produce bloody gashes and deep puncture wounds in the other animal’s flesh. The round ends when one of the bulls either is killed or manages to flee, even if badly injured. The survivors of each round fight each other while spectators bet on the outcome. The “winner” is the last bull left alive—but by then, his injuries are often so severe that he is typically sent to slaughter.

These events are illegal but still take place, often with the tacit approval of local authorities. When Animal Rahat learned that plans were in the works for fights to be held in three local villages, it was able to shut them down in advance by threatening to have the police arrest the organizers.

and Shakti.

These puppies are now safe at Animal Rahat’s home for retired bullocks, and another puppy who was rescued by a Rahat staffer has been adopted by a compassionate villager. They have all been spared the ravages of life on the streets, dodging reckless drivers, scavenging for putrid scraps of food, drinking from oily puddles, and desperately trying to relieve the unrelenting itch of flea bites and mange.

This beautiful girl is Henna. Her leg is bandaged because she had a large wound filled with maggots. After spotting her limping with another young horse, a kind man took them to his home. No owner could be found, so Animal Rahat stepped in. Our veterinarians took both horses to the home for retired bullocks. Henna is recovering well, and she and her companion—now named Reshma—will eventually be moved to our sister sanctuary in the Nilgiri Hills, where the soil is better for horses’ legs and hooves.

As usual, this month saw several wildlife rescues, including the chameleon pictured above, who was found injured on a road and was rehabilitated and released, and the kite shown below, who, after a month of recovery under Animal Rahat’s care, was able to fly home safely.

Animal Rahat also came to the aid of this baby cuckoo, who was unable to fly or grip with her claws when our vets found her. After receiving a vitamin supplement to aid in healing, a painkiller, and a day of rest, she regained her strength and flew off energetically.

She’s only a week or so older than Shahu, and she, too, was trying to survive without a mother. These two will grow up together as “siblings” and—thanks to your support—will never know the anguish, hunger, illness, and injuries that plague India’s “street dogs.”

For example, a Rahat scout discovered this goat, whose owner had forced her to wear a crude collar made of long sticks in order to immobilize her neck. Seeing that the collar was making it difficult for the goat to walk and impossible for her to turn her head to shoo flies off her body, our scout asked her owner to remove the cruel device. The owner explained that he had made the collar because the goat was drinking her own milk. Our scout replied that the reason she did this was because her kid had been taken away from her and she was in pain from being milked too infrequently. After assuring the owner that milking the goat on a frequent and regular schedule would solve the problem, our scout convinced him to free her from the nightmarish collar.

He was whisked away to the Animal Rahat sanctuary and treated with anti-inflammatory medication, and now our little civet pal is on the road to recovery and will soon be released into a forest in the area in which he was found.

 This is Craig. We saw a group of children in the middle of a road painting a baby’s face and dangling this thin kitten in the crook of an elbow. Beggar children are given babies and small animals to use as props to arouse more sympathy, and this “prop” had had enough: He was clearly exhausted and barely able to keep his little eyes open. The children gladly swapped him for a stuffed tiger toy, and once in the car, Craig slept and slept. After he was treated by a veterinarian, Craig was adopted by a villager we know. You can see that he did not hesitate to jump onto this nice, soft bed and claim it as his own.