Animal Rahat Update

October 2009 – February 2010

Founded in 2003 with just one treatment station, Animal Rahat now has dozens of small, easy-to-reach treatment stations – 26 in Solapur and 26 in Sangli (two districts in Maharashtra, which is one of the largest and most populous states in India). The programme started with just two employees and has now grown to include a staff of eight.

At first, Rahat veterinarians could only treat 10 to 15 animals per day, but now the average number of animals treated daily is 87!

A young donkey receives treatment from Rahat team members.

In this report, we list a few of Animal Rahat's many achievements from October through February 2009

In early October, the average number of animals treated per day decreased because of heavy rainfall. So much water had stagnated in the fields (where most owners live) that it was very difficult for them to travel at all, and many bullocks could not work.

Even so, the Rahat vets prescribed at least one rest day for an average of more than 120 animals each week – a godsend to the overworked bulls. Many were prescribed (and Rahat provided financial compensation for) three to seven days' rest for lameness or conditions such as intestinal bleeding, external wounds or bleeding from the nose, which is sometimes a symptom of a fungal infection.

Also in October, the Rahat staff set up a new treatment station near the villages of Kanadwadi and Sawali in response to an increasing number of requests from villagers there who had been trekking with their animals the several miles to the nearest Rahat station in Kupwad. The owners were thrilled to have the vets come to them to provide relief to the more than 80 bullocks who live in the area of these two remote villages. So far, the response has been excellent.

A Sample Case
Here is just one example of the suffering that working animals endure and the importance of Rahat's services in alleviating their pain. One animal guardian, Mr Mohan Shinde, brought his bullock to a Rahat station for treatment of lameness. The bullock had been suffering for eight days, during which time Mr Shinde had sought treatment from others, to no avail.

The bullock could not bear weight on the affected leg. The Rahat team examined the bullock and found swelling over the coronary band (the sensitive band at the top of the hoof located just under its junction with the skin). After questioning the owner, they learned that the lameness occurred shortly after the bullock had been shoed. The vets removed the shoe, and inflammatory fluid immediately came oozing out of the hoof – a clear indication of what was causing the bullock such excruciating pain.

Animal Rahat followed up with home visits. By the third day, the bullock was 90 per cent healed, and the owner provided him with complete rest until he had recovered completely. On the final home visit, our vet reported that several villagers came up to say "thank you" and said that they didn't know what Mr Shinde would have done without Rahat's help.

Animal Rahat Receives a Welcome Visitor
For much of December, the Rahat staff was joined by Ingrid E Newkirk, who played an integral role in the founding of Animal Rahat and is the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) US – an organisation from which Rahat receives financial support.

Ingrid E Newkirk helps rescue a puppy from the streets, where dogs are victim to parasites, injuries, disease and starvation.

Ms Newkirk was accompanied by a veterinarian to provide consultations as well as Animal Rahat board member Nigel Otter, who runs a beautiful animal sanctuary to which many of Rahat's rescued horses and donkeys retire.

Together, the group rescued numerous animals, including two pregnant donkeys and many starving, mange-covered dogs. One tiny puppy who was nothing but skin and bones ate the food they offered and then – exhausted from simply trying to survive – slept for the whole 21-hour bumpy ride with Mr Otter to the sanctuary.

In February, Rahat began undergoing an efficiency audit, and the changes being made bode very well for the animals it serves. There have been some staff changes, plans have been made to acquire more equipment and the staff have gained valuable training from the new veterinary consultant.

Making an Annual Fair More 'Fair' to Animals
For the fifth year in a row, Animal Rahat provided relief for – and prevented the suffering of – countless animals during the Chinchani Fair (an annual goddess festival). The fair is a terrible time for bullocks and horses because whole families pile into carts and force the animals to run for two days straight to make it to the fair. The average distance travelled is between 100 and 250 kilometres.

Exhausted from the journey to the Chinchani Fair, a pair of bullocks froth at the mouth from thirst.

At the relief camp set up by Rahat, the team provided 935 bullocks and 146 horses with "stress kits" containing vitamins and minerals that help the animals withstand the symptoms of being overworked, bottles of pain-relieving liniment to relieve their aching muscles and water to rehydrate them. Of those animals, 85 required specialised treatment for various ailments, including joint pain, joint dislocation, torn shoulder muscles, lameness, yoke gall, dehydration, diarrhoea, hemorrhagic diarrhoea, painful bloating and wounds on various parts of their bodies.

Fairgoers line up to take advantage of Rahat's services.

The best news is that many people are heeding Rahat's appeal that they should not subject their animals to this gruelling journey. Animal Rahat hires buses every year as an alternative way for people to get to the festival. This year, 123 cart owners from the villages of Jaisingpur, Kawathekand and Nagaon chose to leave their carts at home and instead took the free buses that Rahat provided – meaning that their bullocks and horses were spared this marathon of pain and enjoyed much-needed rest while the families were away.

Signs offer water for animals and encourage owners to let their animals rest next year and use Rahat's free bus service to the fair instead.

The Rahat staff also provided bullock and horse guardians with drinking water, hot tea and a rest facility – all of which was appreciated and helped to foster a receptive environment to communicate Rahat's message of kindness to animals.

Helping to Retire Working Animals
A very important aspect of Animal Rahat is its animal retirement programme. Often, when they become too old or ill to work, long-suffering cart animals are sold for slaughter – which is generally performed without stunning and usually follows an unbearably long and hellish journey. As an alternative, the Rahat staff encourages owners to allow animals to continue living with their families until they die so that their remaining years can be free from work, pain and the terror of the slaughterhouse.

To lessen the expenses incurred by owners when they are not earning money with their animals, Animal Rahat pays for a portion of the animals' feeding expenses if the retired animals are kept with their owners. Currently, four retired bullocks and one retired horse are living with their families, thanks to Rahat.

If owners do not have enough money to keep their animals after they become too old to work, Rahat encourages owners to turn their animals over to Rahat instead of selling them for slaughter. Four bullocks, three donkeys and one buffalo are now living at the Animal Rahat retirement facility, where they will never have to work again.

During Ms Newkirk's visit, two of the donkeys who had been living at the Animal Rahat retirement centre were sent to Mr Otter's sanctuary, where the soil is better for equines' hooves and legs. When Rahat took one of them to the retirement centre months ago, she was badly injured – she had worked in a brick kiln, and her back had nearly been crushed under the weight of all the bricks. She had never known anything but work and red clay dirt. After she had been nursed back to health and was well enough to travel, she and her friend were packed her off to their new life. Mr Otter said that when the donkey arrived, it seemed as if she were unable to believe the luxury of a grass field, something she couldn't ever have imagined in her miserable world of work.

A donkey who had only known the red dirt of the brick kilns takes delight in the greenery of her new home.

It is so gratifying to be able to provide rest for these retired animals and help alleviate the suffering of the thousands of animals who are still working. Animal Rahat sponsors make this programme possible. Thank you!