Journalism of Courage
Lorenzo Standen of Noahs ARC feels that the last few years have seen a drastic change in the attitude of people towards animals
When Mayuri Talwar,a working professional came across two abandoned kittens in her housing society,she couldnt help but feel sorry for them as they were in an extremely pitiable condition. Being an animal lover,she wanted to do something for them. Talwar learnt that the two kittens were barely able to walk on their own and it was unsafe to leave them in the open,as their mother was dead after few stray dogs had killed her. She desperately started hunting for animal rescuers in the city. And after a while she got through one organisation. Like true professionals,the rescue team arrived in an ambulance and thus helped the little cats find a safe shelter for themselves.
The rescued animals are kept on a farm located between Kondhwa and Katraj and is spread out over an area of 1.5 acres. Currently the farm has 52 dogs,21 cats,two horses,two goats,three rabbits,a few cows and buffaloes. We are also into rescuing injured birds but they are set free after they are completely cured, says Lorenzo Standen,takes care of the rescue operations single-handedly in the city. Others in the team include Nandita Saigal and Urmila Dabholkar,who look after other activities at the organisation.
Though Noahs ARC was started in the year 2002 and was terminated later,it was set up again in November last year. The group focuses on abandoned old animals,injured ones,adoption and aggressive pets. We receive calls from all over the city but we need atleast an hour as buffer time to reach the spot. However,in case of an emergency,we get in touch with our volunteer in a nearby area so that he can provide temporary help, says Standen. The organisation has tied up with few veterinary doctors in the city who offer their services as and when required,even in the middle of the night.
There are times when the group had to go out of its way to save an animal. In one such case a butcher who had a small buffalo having skin disease did not slaughter it because of the skin disease but he wasnt doing anything to cure it either. It was suffering for no reason so when we got to know about it,we paid the butcher some amount and got it to our farm and we call her Rose, adds Standen,who let go off a lucrative job at Ventura to follow his passion.
He has been working for this cause since last 15 years and feels that people these days are more sensitive towards animals and birds than what they were around a decade back. He says,There are people who despite not being animal lovers get in touch with us when they come across some animal in need.
(To help an animal or bird in need,contact Lorenzo Standen 9049999060)
