People for Animals - Goa

Recognised by Animal Welfare Board of India and Government of Goa as Animal Welfare Organisation

Address : G-8 St Britto's Apartments, Feira Alta, Mapusa 403 507 Goa, India. Phone: 91-832-2263305

Society Registration No: 46/Goa/99

Managing Committee (2003-2005)

Norma Alvares, President
Lakshmi Gonsalves, Secretary
Milan Naik, Treasurer
Cdr. Narayanan, Executive Member
Kamlakant Parab, Executive Member,

Introduction to history

All the religions of the world share a common thread of compassion towards all living beings. This compassion is visible to a high degree in Indian spiritual traditions.

Unfortunately in modern times-as Maneka Gandhi points out-these healthy traditions seem to be getting lost. Today, we live in a society that often appears to deny animals any rights, apart from the single 'privilege' of being sacrificed at the altar of human convenience and greed.

Goa, along with the rest of the country and the world, has also been prey to these dismal trends, but there has been some cause for cheer over the past five years or so. A set of initiatives has been undertaken to improve the lot of animals in the tiny state and many of them have already borne fruit. Animal rights activists, animal lovers, and ordinary citizens (who would not necessarily identify themselves as either animal lovers or activists), concerned at society's treatment of these defenceless creatures have come together to ensure a better deal for them. And, belying all apprehensions, government authorities at all levels have responded positively, some going out of their way in the cause of animal welfare.
It is a small beginning, but one that is building up momentum daily; and will hopefully transform Goa into a model state for animal welfare some years from now. This movement and its achievements belong to the unselfish and determined efforts of some individuals who dared to dream. And the achievements are equally those of the persons and institutions who responded to these efforts with strivings of their own.

In the pages that follow, we have attempted to chronicle work done by the People for Animals-Goa (PFA) in the area of animal welfare over the past five years.

The situation in Goa

In the 80s and early 90s, any person concerned about animal welfare in Goa had to confront a depressing situation. To list some of the most common abuses: stray dogs were routinely trapped and shot dead; cattle, pigs, and poultry were treated in a deplorable fashion while being transported to slaughterhouses, and then slaughtered in a cruel and painful fashion under the most unsanitary conditions; turtles nesting on Goa's beaches were being killed for their meat with their eggs being routinely poached; wildlife in Goa's forest areas had to contend with well-armed and determined poachers...the list is endless.

The depressing scene faced by animal lovers was made worse by a sense of isolation. It was somehow unfashionable to profess a concern for animals, as if this showed unconcern for other, 'more important' issues. Naturally enough, many citizens kept any concern for animals firmly in the closet or lavished it on their personal pets rather than trying to bring about a change at the broader, societal level.

This social climate, however, began to change over time. Following a wave of similar movements around the world, and drawing on ancient Indian traditions of ahimsa and compassion towards all living beings, animal welfare slowly became an issue whose time had arrived.

PFA-Goa : The Beginnings

The formation of PFA in Goa could have come about in a number of ways; the basic requirement was for an occasion or event to bring animal lovers together. As it happened, the organisation had its origins in the issue of treatment of dogs by municipal and panchayat authorities. This is only appropriate-dogs were the first animals to be domesticated by human beings and humans share a particularly close relationship with dogs, extending beyond that of servant and master, to companionship and friendship. Unfortunately, dogs, particularly strays, also suffer the maximum amount of ill-treatment at the hands of humans.
Government authorities all over the civilised world have always displayed callousness when it comes to dealing with any stray animal population, just as it has similarly displayed brutality towards weak and defenceless humans, e.g. street children and destitutes. Stray dogs are considered a nuisance at best and a public health danger at worst, with their ability to spread rabies and other diseases. City and village administrations routinely round up strays and then exterminate them by a range of methods ranging from poisoning to electrocution.

The administration in Goa carried this callousness and brutality even further. The Portuguese government dispensed with the procedure of rounding the strays up-instead, it gave free licence to anybody to go ahead and shoot dogs on the street itself. To cap it all, they paid a fee to killers of stray dogs. The proof of having killed a stray was the dog's tail, which had to be presented when claiming the reward!

This macabre practice, which sounds medieval in its barbarity, was continued by local authorities right till 1998. Even pet dogs wandering around a village or town were liable to be shot (and un-tailed!) by greedy bounty-hunters. A common sight in many Goan villages, amateur dog-shooters would wander around the locality with loaded guns on their shoulders, looking for hapless, defenceless animals. 'Dog-shooter' even became a profession for some and in Goa a handful of such people were available for employment by any municipality, panchayat, residential colony or hotel which wanted to get rid of the local strays.

It is not that Goan citizens did not find this practice upsetting: the problem was that they had not yet come together in an organised fashion to put a stop to it. Besides, stopping the practice was only part of the battle. Civic-minded citizens also realised that the ever-growing stray dog population was a genuine social problem which would have to be tackled simultaneously. Any scheme to stop extermination of strays would also have to present a concrete proposal for bringing the stray animal population under control.

Dr. Pratima Jauhari, a scientist, took the initiative. Desperate to find a solution, she contacted Maneka Gandhi, the well-known animal rights activist, who pointed out that while an individual might find it difficult to tackle a problem of this magnitude on her own, a group of like-minded, committed individuals would certainly make the task easier. Towards this end, Ms. Gandhi recommended that Dr. Jauhari contact Advocate Norma Alvares and Dr. Claude Alvares, a couple well-known for their environmental activism, who could help in setting up an NGO devoted to the welfare of animals.

It was decided, as a first step, to find how many more such concerned citizens existed in Goa. Accordingly, a press release was issued in some prominent newspapers, calling for a meeting of all those concerned about the issue of dog-shooting.

The first meeting, held in April 1995 in the office of an NGO in Panjim, was an unqualified, if unexpected, success. Though optimistic by nature, none of the three expected more than half a dozen people to turn up. They were pleasantly surprised to find the room overflowing with people, many having to stand at the doors due to lack of space!

In this meeting, it was decided to launch a campaign to create general critical awareness of the practice of shooting stray dogs. A decision was also made to constitute the group as a unit of People for Animals, the well-known animal welfare organisation headed by Maneka Gandhi.

Early Days

An informal committee comprising six trustees was set up to guide PFA's activities. PFA began to promote the concept of sterilising strays, rather than shooting them, as a means of controlling the situation. It has been amply demonstrated that scientifically conducted sterilisation is the best means for controlling stray dog populations. San Mateo County, California, showed the way when it passed a precedent-setting legislation requiring people to sterilise their cats and dogs unless they obtained a breeding permit, which would be given only if the population was under the specific number allowed. This experiment has been so successful in controlling stray dog populations that, within months, over 40 cities in the U.S. including Washington and Jersey began work on framing similar legislation. This method is now accepted as the best method the world over, apart from involving the least possible cruelty to the animals among existing methods.

Initially it was proposed to get the sterilisation programme done within the existing set-up but this proved to be extremely difficult in the absence of premises and funds. Fortunately for the PFA, one of its trustees, Angela Kazi, took it upon herself to work full-time for the organisation on an honorary basis and get the job done, funds or no funds. Her home became PFA's address, her car practically became the PFA ambulance. She would receive distress calls about wounded, ill or troublesome animals at home, pick them up herself and attend to their treatment at the Government veterinary hospitals or even persuade private doctors to attend to the animals free of cost. Whenever she could persuade vets to spare some time for sterilisations, she coaxed a few strays into her car and had them sterilised and immunised. The strays would then convalesce and recuperate at her residence. Dr. Gustavo Pinto, a government veterinary surgeon and early PFA trustee, did numerous sterilisations on his off days. Alcina Mortimer was another trustee whose home at another time practically became the PFA shelter.

Such ad-hoc arrangements continued for almost two years. But work in this fashion could only be done on a small scale, and the group began to despair that they would not make much impact, either to curb the practice of dog-shooting or in terms of sterilising dogs to control their population. But these initial experiences were highly valuable in terms of learning for the future.

Other Early Activities

A local newspaper offered PFA a weekly column called 'Pet Pals' for re-homing strays and other unwanted animals. Through this column, PFA re-homed a number of puppies and kittens.

A number of fund-raising programmes were also organised, the most prominent of which was 'Off Pitch'-an evening with Indian and Pakistani cricketers-held on 26th December 1997. Taking the assistance of Mr. Francisco Martins, Mr. C. Farrel and Mr. Pervez Vaz-prominent personalities in the entertainment business-PFA trustees Vidya Bhat and Angela Kazi worked hard to make a success of the programme. Maneka Gandhi came to Goa especially for the fund raiser and a sum of Rs.1,25,000 was raised for animal welfare activities.

Mr Arjun Singh (Sita Travels) gifted PFA several donation boxes which were placed in hotels and other prominent places to raise money from tourists visiting the state, and from local citizens interested in supporting the cause.

PFA extended its support to Green Cross, a group of young, enthusiastic animal lovers, both with advice and with funds. Green Cross organised a survey of the conditions under which animals were kept at a circus which had just come to Margao. Getting wind of this, the circus departed from Goa without visiting other towns in the state as planned. PFA also gave financial assistance to the Green Cross programme to make a survey of the conditions of the animals in the Bondla zoo. Maneka Gandhi's subsequent visit to Bondla led to a major improvement in the conditions of animals at the zoo.

Support from outside

In its early days, PFA received much support, both financial and moral, from animal rights activists and organisations outside Goa. Maneka Gandhi transferred some of her royalty payments from her book 'Heads and Tails' to PFA, giving it some financial base. She visited Goa several times and gave encouragement to the members of the fledgling organisation. The Chairman of the Animal Welfare Board of India, Mr. A.K. Chatterjee, also paid a visit, and it was at this time that a well-attended formal public meeting was organised at the T.B. Cunha Hall in Panaji.

People for Animals (the national organisation of which PFA-Goa was an affiliate at this time) was always forthcoming in its support and made every attempt to ensure that its counterpart in Goa was properly established. An ambulance van from the Mumbai unit was loaned to the Goa unit for its work. Other animal rights organisations working in various parts of the country also gave moral support. PFA received more than 300 letters of encouragement from animal rights groups within the country and abroad on the issue of bullfights. Many of these were copies of letters addressed to the Prime Minister and other high government functionaries exhorting them not to permit this heinous practice to resume in the land of ahimsa.

Registration of PFA-Goa

The association of PFA with the national organisation People for Animals had been a very fruitful and beneficial one, but now that the work of PFA was expanding, the need was felt to constitute the unit as a separate entity. This would enable PFA to approach government bodies for funding and also give it a clear formal status. PFA-Goa was registered as a Society under the Societies Registration Act on 12th February 1999. Formal registration enabled PFA to approach animal welfare bodies for the much required funding and also made it possible for PFA to enter into Memoranda of Agreement with various municipal councils regarding animal welfare work in their jurisdications.

Acknowledgements

At the end, we would like to repeat once again that it has been the active involvement of a large number of individuals and institutions that has made possible whatever success PFA has achieved in Goa. Many of these individuals are not even persons one would identify as 'animal lovers'-they are just ordinary citizens who are trying to apply the principles of compassionate living towards all living beings in their daily lives. This involvement of persons from all walks of life is highly encouraging and has succeeded in bringing the work of PFA into the mainstream, rather than leaving it as the work of a fringe group.