Meet Tauseef Ahmed, a Mangaluru-based animal activist who has been rescuing animals from the city’s streets since 2011. His rescue operations, unwavering love and dedication to animals have been well-appreciated by the people of Mangaluru.
This animal-lover has initiated various projects in Mangaluru to protect animals on the streets. “We have given reflective collars for dogs as part of Project Reflective Collars. This involves putting neon collars on the necks of stray and community dogs to prevent accidents in the dark. These collars make dogs visible from afar, preventing accidents and saving the lives of both dogs and two-wheeler riders.”
“I have also done a project called ‘Project Jal’, in which we gave 100 concrete water bowls to the public for dogs, cows, birds, and other animals. I am also into wildlife rescuing where I work along with the Karnataka Forest Department,” he said.
He went on to say that he has done another project for sparrows called Home Sweet Home. “We don’t have much nesting space for birds right now in the City. So, last year we made artificial nesting spaces out of PVC pipes and gave them to people. In the coming week, we will initiate the distribution of nests for this year. The idea is to bring these sparrows, squirrels back to the cities.”
Tauseef Ahmed recently launched Project Suraksha, an initiative to distribute animal first-aid kits to all of the city’s police stations. The first kit was handed over to Police Commissioner N. Shashi Kumar. “The project was dedicated to the Mangaluru Police Department. If you go to a police station, you’ll see that cops feed dogs, cats, and even cows. Police do have a special place in their hearts for animals,” he expressed.
He further said that there are two sets of first-aid kits; one for humans and the other for animals. It has antiseptic creams, sprays, bandages, tapes, and other materials. They can use the kit to treat animals for minor issues like itchy skin, minor accidents, wounds etc. instead of taking them to the vet. “Police Commissioner Shashi Kumar appreciated the initiative and encouraged us to move forward with it,” he added.
Tauseef mentioned that they named the initiative Suraksha (protectors) as police are the protectors of the society. “The cops have always been cooperative whenever we approached them. It shows their commitment to their work,” he stressed.
Explaining the animal rescue operation, he said “When it comes to animals, there are two ways to approach a problem in society. One is something you do after something happened, like attending the accident case and then training the animal appropriately. However, some things can be done ahead of time, such as how to avoid accidents.”
Sharing one of his unforgettable memories Tauseef said, “I recall an incident in Kavoor a few years ago in which a calf was sexually assaulted by a man who was one among the migrant workers. The video was taken by some locals and went viral. I was ultimately the one who went to the Kavoor Police Station and filed a complaint. They went out and caught a few people within a few hours. Of course, the main culprit managed to escape. But it was very seriously dealt with by the police.”
My message to readers
“We all are a bunch of animals. We share the same world yet our egos often lead us astray, convincing us that we are the superior species. This is wrong! All are equal inheritors of the world. It is important to remember that we are all in this together, trying to survive, like them,” he said.
Tauseef further said that animals do not expect anything from us, so be kind to them. “You simply let them live rather than harming them, which itself is a great thing to do. We need to be more considerate. These animals had already been there before we came. This is also their home,” he expressed.
