Changing the culture around animal welfare is one of the most direct and powerful ways to ensure that animals are treated compassionately for generations to come, which is why community outreach is such an important part of Animal Rahat’s work.
Every month, the group works to inform hundreds of people of varying ages and backgrounds about everything from seeing animals as individuals with their own needs and desires to the importance of providing proper nutrition, clean drinking water, and necessary medical care.
Through one-on-one conversations, Animal Rahat’s scouts appeal to animal owners directly, encouraging them to make small personal changes that can make a big difference for the animals. For example, scouts recently persuaded 52 cattle owners to replace painful nose ropes with morkees (halters) and persuaded many owners of buffaloes and goats to remove inhumane hobbles from their necks and legs.
The team frequently holds village meetings with animal owners and village leaders. More than 200 bullock owners took part in recent meetings focused on bonding through grooming and replacing the cruel, restrictive two-sided tying method with long, one-sided ropes.
Animal Rahat also organized 15 village meetings honoring Bail Pola participants who chose to decorate their bullocks for the festival with nontoxic decorations, instead of traditional chemical paints or powders. More than 250 bullock owners attended these meetings, where they also learned about the harmful effects of using wooden logs as hobbles. Once they heard how dangerous and stressful these objects are for their animals, many vowed never to use such a cruel method again.
Animal Rahat also held several training sessions for local animal health service providers on preventive management practices. These sessions covered various topics, including the proper disposal of biomedical waste, information on diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, and calculating proper medical dosing for animals.
Animal Rahat’s work is also igniting the compassion of young people. More than 100 students and their teachers recently participated in a Compassionate Citizen workshop. A school official was so inspired by the program that he later met with a village officer to discuss care for “village dogs.” He was able to persuade the officer to enroll the village in Animal Rahat’s spay/neuter and vaccination program, and soon, the many “village dogs” will be vaccinated and sterilized.
Thankfully, by performing community outreach and providing information, Animal Rahat is helping to change the culture surrounding the care and treatment of animals of all shapes and sizes.
