Madras’ love for all creatures, great and small – The Hindu

It’s not hard to trace Madras’ enduring connection with animals and their well-being. Be it enthralled visitors gazing at mugger crocodiles dozing in the sun or pet parents lining up at one of the country’s oldest veterinary institutes, the welfare of furry, scaly and winged creatures has always been part of the city’s ethos, and this has continued during the pandemic.

In 1906, the Madras Pinjrapole was established to house aged and infirm cows. Started in memory of Chathur Bookasoss Kushaldoss, a Gujarati merchant, who donated 12 acres of land in Otteri, the shelter now houses 1,800 cows, says secretary of the Pinjrapole, Kantilal D. Shah. The aim was to take care of the cows till they died naturally. “About 150 of the cows produce milk, which is given to those who help the organisation with donations,” he says.

Birth of Blue Cross

Some 50 years later, in 1959, Captain V. Sundaram, a pilot, found two puppies in a stormwater drain near his home in T. Nagar. He brought them home, and the Blue Cross of India was born. “Shaggy and Grimmy were the first, but soon the house was filled with all kinds of animals, including at one point, a goat. My mother had to cook for 50-60 animals some days,” recalls S. Chinny Krishna, Capt. Sundaram’s son and chairman emeritus of The Blue Cross. It was registered as a society in 1964 and, up until 1987, functioned entirely with volunteers. Their greatest achievement, Mr. Krishna says, was the implementation of the animal birth control programme that helped stop the mass killings of stray dogs in the city.

Just a few years after Captain Sundaram brought home the puppies, the Animal Welfare Board of India was set up in Chennai in 1962. Established under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, it was spearheaded by Rukmini Devi Arundale, the city’s noted dancer and humanitarian. The board was headquartered in Chennai for decades, before moving to its present location in Faridabad a few years ago.

The Madras government too made its own efforts: the Madras Veterinary College began in 1903, while the origins of the zoo (now the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur) date back to 1855 — both among the oldest in the country.

The zoo incidentally, came into being when Edward Green Balfour, then director of the Government Central Museum at Madras, persuaded the Nawab of Carnatic to donate his entire animal collection to the museum.

Crocodile Bank

Caring for animals is, clearly, not new to Chennai. And in true Madras style, organisations that have worked for the welfare and conservation of animals, aided by animal lovers stepped up, despite the exigencies of the pandemic. Take the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, for instance. Established in 1976 by renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker and Zai Whitaker, it has, for years, promoted and worked for the conservation of reptiles and amphibians — something that did not stop during the pandemic. “While prolonged lockdowns affected our income since there were no visitors, we continued our conservation activities owing to support from donors. We continue to get calls from the public, asking us if the Crocodile bank is open for visitors, which we hope will happen soon,” said Pramila Rajan, director. Continuing conservation education, the Trust now conducts virtual programmes on various topics, for children and adults.

The Chennai Snake Park, one of the go-to destinations for any visitor to the city is currently reeling under the impact of not having had visitors for months, and consequently, very little revenue. Pre-pandemic, it averaged 4 lakh visitors a year. The park, now managed by the Chennai Snake Park Trust, got by on CSR funds donated by companies last year, and it has now appealed to the public for funds.

COVID-hit lions

COVID-19, however, did not leave our animals untouched. Two lions at the Vandalur zoo died after testing positive for the virus, but round-the-clock monitoring by a team of zoo staff and vets ensued, helping save 13 others.

A city under some form of lockdown for over 15 months now, also meant that vulnerable animals such as strays and those offering joy rides could suffer. To tackle this, many city organisations and animal lovers came together to feed stray animals. “With beaches shut for prolonged periods, we realised that the horses used for public joy rides were not being taken care of, given their owners’ loss of livelihood. We bought these horses and rehabilitated them at our facility, and employed a few of their owners as well,” said Shravan Krishnan, who helps run Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary, a historical organisation that was revived about four years ago at the Theosophical Society campus with the support of its international president Tim Boyd. The facility now houses over 250 animals, has 35 staff members, and is involved in rescue and rehabilitation as well as outpatient and inpatient care.

While difficult, efforts during COVID-19 have not stopped. And how have they survived? With the support of a city that cares for all its life forms.