Under the spirited and charismatic leadership of Sweta Sardessai, Honorary Secretary of the Panjim Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), this once conventional small animal haven at St Inez, Panjim has metamorphosed into a lively lifeline for the city’s street animals, predominantly dogs and cats.
On World Environment Day, June 5, 2023, I had the delightful privilege of immersing myself in the heart warming bustle of the PAWS shelter. I soaked in the vibrant atmosphere for a good two hours, marvelling at the tireless dedication of the shelter staff, and observing a potential adopter thoughtfully choosing a companion for his pet at home. It was all just another day’s work on an otherwise ordinary Monday afternoon.
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Dr V Banakar, the treasurer of PAWS, welcomed me warmly on arrival. As Sweta was out on a mission, he introduced me to Sana Shaikh, the administrative officer, who gladly took me on a tour. When Sweta did arrive, she was buzzing with the excitement of a challenging rescue attempt for an injured dog. There had been several complaints about this dog who had managed to evade all previous attempts to trap it. This time too the mission was unsuccessful. But the team was not disappointed, much less dejected. “We will get the better of him one of these days,” was the cheerful response of the boys from the dog-catching team. Obviously, Sweta’s unwavering determination to overcome obstacles reflects well in her team.
During my visit, I was swept up in the flurry of rescue missions, one of which originated straight from the Chief Minister’s residence! To handle these everyday calls, PAWS has a dedicated rescue team, fearlessly led by Aishwarya Dessai, a lady who often braves the night for the cause.
Amidst all the hustle, PAWS maintains an impressive sense of order and tranquility. A state-of-the-art operation theatre is managed by two dedicated veterinary surgeons, Dr Rhea Gracias and Dr Nerissa Lobo, who work tirelessly alongside trained veterinary assistants, Suresh and Sajjan. Both the vet assistants also double up as dog-catchers in times of need. It’s a perfect example of the kind of teamwork needed in an animal shelter.
Given sufficient grants, I was told that the vets could potentially sterilize 300 to 400 dogs per month. However, much depends on the release of the money from Goa’s Animal Husbandry department, which is the nodal agency to finance the much needed stray dogs’ sterilisation programme in Goa.
To add to the woes of animal welfare organisations wanting to carry out the Animal (Dogs) Birth Control programme, the Animal Welfare Board of India has notified new rules in March 2023, which require animal shelters to meet certain standards. These new rules pose quite a challenge. One of them requires vets at ABC centres to have a minimum record of 2,000 operations performed, prior to being engaged in the program. The other difficult rule is the new sizes of the cages to house the dogs, which most animal shelters have great difficulty complying with. Until then, sterilization of street dogs in Goa is on hold and the large shed with 38 cages lies empty.
In contrast with the stalled dog sterilization programme, the cattery was bustling with activity. Nyra Azavedo, is passionate about cats and was a volunteer at the shelter for several years prior to being recruited as a staff member. Injured cats are first treated and then sterilised, before they can be returned to their original locations, unless perchance they are adopted.
A section of the shelter with 20 plus cages is reserved for dogs requiring special care due to accidents or injuries. Here, the street animals get the much needed care and rest before they are released. The shelter also features a unique orthopedic ward equipped with an X-ray machine to treat animals with broken bones. Is this section much used I asked, seeing only one dog confined there. Sweta informed me that besides X-rays being required to treat the injured strays, the facilities are also very much in demand by pet owners who pay the charges, although they may have the treatment done privately.
Food for the animals is cooked in a large spacious kitchen that operates on eco-friendly biogas generated from the CCP’s biogas plant, which deals with the segregated organic waste collected by the garbage collectors from the Panjim market and households.
I was happy to know that PAWS, in its forward-thinking manner, plans to establish an animal crematorium in the shelter premises, not only because it is increasingly difficult to find burial space for animals in the city, but also due to growing demands from pet owners desiring dignified ‘passings’ for their cherished companions.
I could not believe that all these facilities and equipment came out of the Corporation’s funds as I am aware of how hard it is to get money from municipalities for animal welfare activities. In response to my query Sweta replied “CCP did put up the basic facilities, but a lot of the refurbishment has come from CSR donations which I raised personally, using my contacts. Some of the corporate houses have sponsored entire facilities, others have provided the material I needed free of cost.”
My final query to Sweta was whether she had much experience about animal welfare before joining PAWS. In response, she confessed she had no prior knowledge of animal welfare, but she has learned on the job, bringing her unique organizing skills to bear on the shelter’s needs. It is this sort of resilience and spirit that makes PAWS, Panjim, so extraordinary. It’s worth a visit and support from all animal lovers.
(Norma Alvares is an advocate of the Bombay High Court and an activist and campaigner)
