With the rise of social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, pages for animal rescue and adoption have increased. These newborn wonders too deserve a loving family just like expensive breeds.
Social media is proving to be beneficial for such voiceless creatures. We all love dogs and cats, don’t we? Pets comfort our lives; they wait for us eagerly. They stay faithful and keep us happy, besides de-stressing us after the drudgery of a long day. It is like nurturing our baby. But how often do we end up hurting and traumatising them?
Meet Bhushan Kankal, a dog lover and pet parent to a wonderful Indi, Kajal.
“Kajal was adopted through a social media page. Kajal and her siblings were rescued by a group in Nagpur after her mother was brutally killed. In my opinion, social media does wonders for these groups. It creates awareness, encourages initiative (for pet adoption) and creates public support through these pages. They also help in finding houses for lost animals. If the owner doesn’t claim them, they treat the pets and put them up for adoption.” he says.
Dr Bhavesh Solanki, a pet lover, runs a social media page under the name RRSAIndia, for such rescue acts. “We’ve been able to reach many states in India and have received support from celebrities such as Sunny Leone, Shraddha Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff. It also helps in raising funds for the rescued animals that need treatments. It supports adoption, though the adoption rate for strays is very low compared to the pedigree breeds, which stands at eight or nine dogs out of 30.”
Brother and sister Vinay and Krutika Khemani had initiated Project Helping Hands during Covid. The initial idea was to feed strays. With time, they started providing care and healing them. “In my opinion, social media helps in spreading awareness, supporting initiatives and fundraising for these voiceless creatures. These pages also help to connect with different people (keen to adopt dogs) across cities through events, dog meets, and rescue drives. Many Indi-breed dogs get homes forever only through these pages only since these breeds are not available in pet shops.” says Krutika.
Social media is seen as a platform for networking, connecting with like-minded people, getting information and learning. Now, it’s not only serving humankind but helping strays find permanent homes and love.
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