Sometimes we surprise even ourselves with the sheer numbers of animals that we are able to reach. We would not be able to do it all without our incredible staff and our supporters, like you.
Thank you for helping us have such an amazing impact on these animals, who all would have suffered terribly without TOLFA.
TOLFA was originally set up to help the street dogs that were being cruelly treated by the local authorities during the annual Urs religious festival in Ajmer. Of course now, we are ready to care for any sick or injured animals in need of our help. Wild animals are referred to and dealt with by the Forestry Department, but there is noone else in the area who will help the street animals – mostly dogs, cows and cats – or the abandoned working animals like donkeys, horses and camels.
The majority of the animals that we rescue and treat are dogs and puppies, but we are seeing an increase in the number of cats that we are being called to help too. The cows on India’s streets are not there naturally – they are all either still owned by someone or once owned and now abandoned. Reasons for abandonment could be because they have stopped producing milk, have some health problem, or were simply born male and therefore are not needed by the dairy industry.
We rescue and care for any unowned animal for free. Owned animals are treated at our dispensaries for a fair charge that goes back into supporting our projects.
We attend an average of 49 emergency calls every day – that’s 348 call outs a week!
Our Rescue & Care teams are out responding to calls 7 days a week. They are experts at dealing with injured and frightened animals and are always prepared for any situation – that includes removing a cow from a deep well or a cat stuck up a tree!
Every week we sterilise an average of 41 street dogs and vaccinate 46 of them against rabies.
Sterilisation or ABC (Animal Birth Control) as it is commonly known in India, is important not only in controlling the street dog population, but in keeping them healthy. We vaccinate the dogs against rabies at the same time to protect human health as well.
Over the last 5 years we’ve taught 8,252 children about animal welfare – that’s on average 32 kids learning to care every week!
Education is the most important factor in making long-term change for animal welfare. The prevalence of rabies in India creates a cycle of fear around the street dogs which unfortunately can make the situation worse. Kindness and understanding are key to improving health and welfare for everyone.
We treat 109 goats on average every week at our hospital dispensary as part of our Rural Animal Health project.
A family’s goat may be the only thing standing between them and poverty. Although we are against intensive farming practices, the animals we treat are owned by subsistence farmers who need their animals to survive. We provide FREE treatments as well as animal husbandry and welfare advice.
We treat 19 owned animals a day, that’s 134 a week, at our clinics, and help their owners keep up to date with their care.
All pets that have been adopted from TOLFA receive free, life-long treatments. Owners of breed pets pay a donation for their treatment which then subsidises the free care we give. We explain to pet owners the importance of sterilising and vaccinating their pets, and how to care for them properly.
