Bengaluru: Sakshi S Kamath, a dedicated animal welfare activist from Karkala, has been selected for the ‘Paw Protector’ honour at the Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 – Season 2, recognising her extraordinary compassion and decade-long commitment to restoring hope and dignity to abandoned and injured animals.
The award ceremony is being organised by Team Abhaya, in association with the Bangalore Sports Lovers Association.
Award ceremony details
- Event: Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 – Season 2
- Category: Paw Protector
- Venue: Alliance Française de Bangalore Auditorium
- Date & Time: Friday, 6 March 2026, 5.00 pm onwards
A life shaped by compassion
Born on 18 August 1990, Sakshi S. Kamath grew up in the serene village of Hirgana, Karkala, in a family where kindness towards animals was a way of life. She is the daughter of Srinivasa Prabhu, a retired hotel manager, and Sharada Prabhu, a homemaker. She is married to Sunil Kamath of Suratkal, while her brother Santosh Prabhu serves as a lecturer at Expert College, Karkala.
Educated in a government school in Hirgana, Sakshi later pursued fashion designing at a private institute. However, her true calling emerged early—rooted in the compassion she witnessed at home and nurtured through lived experience.
Asare Animal Trust: shelter for the unsupported
Driven by her passion, Sakshi founded Asare Animal Trust—meaning shelter for the unsupported. For over 10 years, she and her committed team have worked tirelessly to rescue orphaned, injured, sick, exhausted, and abandoned street animals, nursing them back to health and dignity with the support of generous donors.
In a decade of service, Asare Animal Trust has:
- Rescued over 1,500 animals
- Fostered more than 150
- Facilitated adoptions for over 2,000 cats and dogs
- Placed nearly 5,000 animals into loving homes—completely free of cost
The Trust also conducts free and low-cost spay and neuter programmes throughout the year, helping control stray populations and prevent further suffering on the streets.
Turning awards into action
Sakshi has received several local recognitions for her work and has consistently pledged to channel every honour and resource back into animal welfare. Her future vision includes expanding rescue operations, strengthening medical care for injured animals, and creating more pathways for permanent, loving homes.
The Paw Protector honour at the Abhaya Bravery Award 2026 celebrates Sakshi S. Kamath as a true guardian angel for voiceless lives—someone who has transformed empathy into sustained action, one paw at a time.
