Animal Care in Auroville

It is common in India to see uncared stray dogs roaming the streets. For many years, until April 2005, a long time Aurovilian, Ann Plummer from New Zealand, known in Auroville as ‘Animal Care Ann’, provided food and care for the stray dogs and cats in the surrounding villages of Auroville, and to a lesser extent within Auroville. Her work was recognized by Auroville and in 1997 an official Animal Care Trust was formed.

Ann passed away in June 2005 and suddenly there was a vacuum in the animal care scene which needed to be filled urgently. A few of Ann’s friends, who were also supporters of animal care work, came together to form the “Integrated Animal Care Centre (IACC)”. This is their story.

What is IACC?

IACC is Auroville’s animal shelter located on 2 acres of forested land on the fringe of Auroville. It serves to protect vulnerable Auroville land from outside encroachment; more importantly, it is home to almost 70 dogs of all ages, colours, shapes and sizes, each one with their own unique personality.

Over time, and with our limited boarding facilities, we have developed primarily into a dog shelter, though we are open to all animals in need. A majority of our resident animals are “dumped” puppies left outside our gate or within Auroville, who could not get adopted or animals that cannot be sent elsewhere because they are sick, aggressive or fearful. These will remain at the shelter where they will be cared for and fed for their lifetime. Most of our dogs run free in one happy, rowdy pack, though some unsocialized or weak animals live in large separate enclosures for their own wellbeing. As a policy, we do not euthanise an animal unless it is very sick or suffering from age, incurable pain or chronic disease.

Since its inception in 2005, the Integrated Animal Care team has focussed its efforts in animal care on the basis of five main guiding principles:

– Birth Control; to help address the terrible stray animal over-population issue and the suffering it brings, a condition faced across India.

– Antirabies vaccination for all animals; rabies is a major public health concern in India, with more than 40,000 rabies-related human deaths each year.

– Medical Care to stray animals in need or for owned animals

– Adoption and finding new homes for abandoned dogs/cats

– Sensitization and education of the general public towards animals; especially important in India where many locals grow to fear animals and react with mistrust rather than compassion.

IACC has organized (and in many cases, paid for) more than 2,000 sterilizations of both male and female dogs, vaccinated countless animals against rabies, adopted hundreds of abandoned puppies and found homes for many of them in Auroville and the surrounding villages. It is a very small start in a gigantic problem experienced across India: there is much work yet to be done.

The Future

IACC has recently strengthened its team, and with this new momentum, we would like to focus a large part of our energy and (hopefully additional) resources to implement extensive animal birth control and vaccination programmes aiming at reducing the stray dog population in and around Auroville. Well regulated, wide-scale sterilization and vaccination programmes are a proven means to stabilize a healthier, familiar stray animal population in a locality; and it significantly limits the danger from rabies as a human health hazard.

Another important issue that requires our urgent attention and is yet to be tackled is the aspect of widespread sensitisation and education of the general public. We are hoping to approach this task through education programmes in the local schools, organised visits to the shelter, regular communication with the community and other ways of spreading awareness.

Our Struggles and Celebrations

Animal care is not an easy work. It is gut-wrenching to see animals suffer daily because of human apathy and cruelty. But the rewards are immeasurable too. 

Dany, a devoted team member writes, “For me working at the Shelter is ‘que du bonheur’, (only happiness). It is funny to see some of the animals showing you how they are upset after you come back after having been away for 3 days….then this moment passes and they show you their love….”  

Animal care is expensive. The monthly City Services budget barely covers a third of the monthly expenses: we depend heavily on donors and, mostly, on the unfailing generosity of our team members to keep it going.

If IACC is to achieve some of the goals it has set itself, if it is to grow and flourish as a project that reduces animal suffering in and around Auroville by even a small amount, we need the continued support of our larger community. There are many ways you could help in this effort – whether it is of adopting a young dog from the shelter, an online sponsorship of a resident animal, a monthly contribution, or a donation in kind (food, clothes, old mattresses, bed sheets, towels, brushes, fencing and construction materials, or medical supplies) or even a few hours of your time volunteering at the Shelter, working with the dogs … Every act of kindness is received with immense gratitude.

For more information contact: 

[email protected] 

or visit Facebook: Integrated Animal Care Centre (https://www.facebook.com/aviacc/).