Slice of Life: ‘Animal rescue operations can be interesting, but volatile’

Chennai

I began to volunteer for animal rescue operations five years ago. I was a Scout Master, and had visited the Blue Cross for an event and soon after decided to volunteer with them. I underwent training first before assisting in rescue missions. It was during my training that I taken along to my first rescue attempt. I had to only watch and learn. Two bulls had gotten into a fight and their horns were tangled. We had to saw a horn off to release them. It was quite an interesting experience. But I also learned that such situations are volatile. We can neither predict the situations we will get into nor can we know the emotional state of the animal. We have to be careful, even if the animal looks friendly, and ensure that the rescue goes ahead smoothly. I have saved cows, goats, dogs, cats, and even a peacock once. The peacock actually fell into a well,about a month after the Vardah cyclone. It had been there for several days, and the locals were feeding it by throwing food down the well. We rescued the bird, and then released it into the same area. Rescue operations are not dangerous as long as we follow all the precautions, and use proper equipment. After a rescue, if the animal is hurt, we send it to the hospital. If it is unhurt, we release it back in the same area. We also inform the locals about precautionary measures that they can follow.