The Blue Cross Blog

YOUNG PEOPLE SPEAK OUT FOR ANIMALS

The prestigious International Award for Young People (IAYP) – the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award is joining hands with the Blue Cross of India to raise awareness and funds for animal welfare.

A walkathon in aid of Blue Cross of India will be held on 17th of July from War Memorial to Gandhi Statue on Marina at 6.30 am. The walk will bring together youngsters from schools, colleges and organizations and is aimed at bringing together Chennai’s younger generation to pledge their commitment to the cause of animals. About 5000 to 7500 participants are expected to attend, and the group will include a wide spectrum of personalities from all walks of life.

The Highlights of the Event

The participants will qualify for a part of their service section at any levels of Bronze/ Silver/ Gold Award of the IAYP.

CBSE Schools: It will be a part of their CCE (continuous comprehensive evaluation) catering to their co- scholastic areas of thinking, creative, social and emotional skills and their attitudes towards the environment and value for the same.

The IAYP is a widely known, highly competitive award that receives as many as 635,000 participants from across the world. This event marks an important chapter in the history of animal welfare in Chennai and will make a difference to the lives of thousands of homeless animals that require rescue and rehabilitation. 

In the words of IAYP representative Margarette Davidraj, “this will be a rally for the voiceless ones who also have a right to share our planet in comfort and dignity”.

Participation :

The participation fees (a minimum of Rs.20/- for school students and Rs.50/- for all adults) will go to Blue Cross in order to facilitate development of adequate amenities for animals that are sheltered there such as rations and medicines.

Participation tickets are available at Landmark and with the IAYP who can be contacted at:

+91 9840521483

+91 9962580155

We’ve always known that dogs are our best friends and valued members of our family. A relationship like this doesn’t come with a price tag. Why buy a puppy and encourage the cruel pet trade when you can walk into the nearest animal shelter and adopt your companion animal, free of cost instead?

 
By choosing to adopt an Indian dog or a mongrel, you give a homeless, rescued puppy a new lease of life and a family to love. Indian dogs are intelligent, affectionate, loyal and healthy. Their fur coats are perfect for our tropical climate and their immune systems are strong- this means they live long lives and aren’t prone to frequent illnesses. Many famous Indians including the much-loved Cyrus Broacha are proud ambassadors of Indian dogs.
 
Pedigree puppies are often bred in cruel conditions by breeders who might mate those in the same family (this is called inbreeding). This results in dangerous genetic defects like hip dysplasia in German Shepherds and heart disease in Boxers. In some cases, breeders view these dogs as commodities and imprison pedigree mothers to sell their litters repeatedly. These mothers spend their whole lives in puppy mills (as they are commonly called) devoid of human affection, just so the breeder can make a hefty profit. Even if breeders have humane conditions, the business of breeding contributes to overpopulation. And when we are particular about certain breeds, we end up supporting the exploitation of pedigree dogs. And breeds really don’t matter – all dogs give us unconditional love!
 
So if you’re considering getting a companion animal, adopt a homeless puppy or dog, or just go to your local animal welfare organization and adopt one of their adorable rescues – your new puppy will thank you for it and reward you with a lifetime of loyalty. When you become a proud owner of a mongrel, be sure to tell friends and relatives about why you decided to do so. Spread the message!
 
If you’d like to get in touch with your local animal shelter and can’t find their contact info, check this fairly comprehensive list compiled by a Mumbai-based animal welfare person (if you still have trouble, leave your name and city in the comments section). http://animalwelfareorganisations.blogspot.com/

Contact Blue Cross Chennai at 22300666 or 22300655

If you’ve always wanted to contribute to a worthy cause, the time is now. You have an opportunity to make double the impact with your money! The Maria Norbury Foundation has pledged to match every donation towards our corpus fund – this means if you donate Rs 10, so does the Foundation. In effect, we automatically receive double the amount you gave us. This is great news for us after a difficult period of recession that saw a drastic fall in charitable giving. We ended up emptying out our corpus fund and spending it on upkeep of the shelters. Our shelters house 2500 destitute animals rescued from abuse, illness and injury : these voiceless friends need us to keep them comfortable for the rest of their lives or until they find homes. Below are a few FAQs on this once-in-a-lifetime offer.

Q) Why should I donate now?

Ans: Since we have used up our corpus fund to pay for the running of the shelter, we are now operating in emergency mode and have no fall-back for the day our funds run out.

Q) What is the offer from the Maria Norbury Foundation?

 Ans: The Maria Norbury Foundation, a private Washington-based charitable trust, has promised to match every contribution received towards our corpus renewal – this means any donation that is received from you towards the corpus fund will double automatically. This is valid up to USD 100,000.

Q) What will my donation be used for?

Ans: Your donation will be invested and income derived from these investments will be used to run the shelters at Toducadu, Velachery and Kunnam. This includes ambulance services, food, medical care and shelter expenses. It will also be used to perform large scale ABC (Animal Birth Control) programmes that will humanely reduce the population of street dogs.

Q) What if I am not in India?

 Ans: Regardless of where you are in the world, we have convenient payment options for you (for more information, please see the section titled “Means of payment”)

Q) Does my money go directly to the cause?

Ans: Yes! We’ve never spent any donor money on marketing, administration or miscellaneous expenses. All jobs that involve campaiging, fundraising and adoption coordination are handled by unpaid volunteers. Your money goes straight to the welfare of animals and will not be eroded along the way.

Your contribution will make it possible for us reach out to those who need us. It’s not easy being a homeless animal but with your support, we can make a difference

MEANS OF PAYMENT

Cheques and Demand Drafts
Crossed cheques and DDs drawn in favour of “Blue Cross of India” can be mailed to
Blue Cross of India
1, Eldams Road,
Chennai 600018
 
Bank Transfer
Blue Cross of India
S/B A/c. No. 419318361
Indian Bank, Guindy Branch,
Chennai 600 032, India
 
Contribution in Foreign Currency:
Blue Cross of India
S/B A/c. No. 419318316
Indian Bank, Guindy Branch,
Chennai 600 032, India
Swift Code: IDIBINBBGDY
 
Contributions from outside India:
http://bluecrossofindia.org/donation.html- Click on the PayPal link to donate online

We would like to invite you to the book release of “Sacred Animals of India” by Dr Nanditha Krishna on 24 February (Wednesday) at 10-30 a.m. at CP Ramaswamy Iyer Foundation, Eldams Road, Alwarpet.  Smt Maneka Gandhi, member of Parliament will release the book and the first copy will be received by Shri Shekhar Dattatri, Wildlife Conservation Filmmaker. Please join us for coffee after the launch. RSVP Shantha 24346526

On Tuesday, Feb 16, 2010, Dr, Nanditha Krishna and Dr. Chinny Krishna of the Blue Cross of India met with Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India. They were accompanied by General R. M. Kharb, Chairman of the AWBI, Ms. Justine Holmes of the World Society for the Protection of Animals, and Dr. Abdul Rahman, Secretary General of the Commonwealth Veterinary Association.

Mr. Jairam Ramesh was extremely receptive to the idea of India being a signatory and sponsor of the Universal Declaration of Animal Welfare, initiated by WSPA.

When requested, he immediately agreed to sign the petition. He wrote: “As an Indian, animal welfare is part of my dharma, and it has become my karma now!”

Thereafter, the delegation met Dr. Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, and a close friend of Dr. Nanditha Krishna since they were children.

He, too, signed the declaration (in his personal capacity), becoming the two millionth signatory! .

Dr. T. P. Sekar, Chief Veterinarian of the Blue Cross, left us today after 25 years of service.

He took up surgery only in 1994 and in the last 16 years completed over 87,000 spays and neuters. He also helped train surgeons in over 30 NGOs and several hundred Vets employed by the Animal Husbandry Department were trained in ABC.

Dr. Sekar was one of the best surgeons for cats that we have known and trained surgeons in cat spays at many places including the Vishaka SPCA. He represented the Blue Cross in many Committees including as a nominee of the CPCSEA.

We wish him all the best in his new assignment with SRM College but we would be less than honest if we do not mention that we are sad that he is taking over as Head of the Animal House at SRM.

Are you a long-time patron of the Blue Cross or someone who’s just getting started with charitable giving? We have good news for you either way: any donation you make by Jan 31, 2010 will be matched by a generous corporate donor – this means whatever you give will have twice the impact if given during this time! Spread the word and double the joy this new year

Are you looking for information on transporting your pet to India from US or the other way around? The rules may differ slightly each way, and according to what pet of what size you are actually shipping.

First you need to contact The Ministry Of Agriculture in India, and the USDA in America. These are the departments responsible for importing / exporting animals and pets in these countries. You might need to do some googling to put together the various rules, get numbers to contact etc. They have very clear guidelines and checklists of required paperwork. Start getting these together.

Things to do

(1) Your pet has to be microchipped, so if he / she / they aren’t already then do that first.

(2) All their vaccinations also need to be complete and up to date (to the day, so check with your vet, as well as the airline / concerned authorities) and do this, and get the vaccination certficates from the vet. In addition you need a certificate of health from your certified vet (not just any vet) issued within a few days before travel.

(3) Next comes planning and booking the actual travel. The best way for your pet to travel is with you. Not all airlines allow this, Lufthansa is one that does, if the pet is under a maximum size. (Any bigger pet needs to be put in the luggage hold.) They are also reputed to be the best in carrying pets, either with passenger or as cargo. (If you have a large dog for example, and you travel with him, then even though he is in the hold, he is considered as travelling with you. If you are not a passenger on the same flight, then he becomes cargo.) The details are available on their website, or through their call center. They will clearly tell you the list of paperwork that is required for smooth processing, be sure to note this down and follow it to the T, to avoid any complications later.

Your small pet can be carried with you in the flight in a pet carrier that meets their requirements. I think they limit one pet per passenger, so if you have more than one, you’ll have to figure out those details with the airline. If for some reason it is absolutely not possible to carry your pet with you, then send her (or him) by Lufthansa Cargo. The process, cost, and paperwork for this will alter slightly. I recommend Lufthansa because they really do take good care of their pets, even though most other airlines do allow them as cargo. Contact them directly, and they will tell you everything you need to know / arrange etc. On arrival at the destination, both countries require a quarantine to ensure the animal stays healthy.

If you have all the required paperwork (ready in advance) and processed correctly, you can take your pet directly home on landing. In India I just had to bring my kitten back to The Ministry after one week of arrival, and again after one month, for them to see that she is healthy, so it’s more like a “home quarantine”. But this is only allowed if your paperwork is absolutely thorough. Do make sure it is, because quarantine in any country is horrible, and a huge risk to your pet. All the best, and please don’t be daunted by this procedure. My kitty and I are both very happy we were never separated

Information courtesy: Shweta Madiman,volunteer, Blue Cross of India

 Rajesh Lakhoni, Commissioner of the Chennai Corporation visited the Guindy centre of the Blue Cross of India on 15th Dec to learn firsthand the procedure being followed in the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme at that centre. He was also able to see the cattle collected by the Chennai Corporation and handed over to the Blue Cross and the many other operations of the Blue Cross of India. Chennai has the distinction of being the first to accept and adopt ABC and vaccination of street dogs in 1996 when Shri M. Abul Hassan was the Special Officer, well before the passage of the ABC Rules by the Government of India in 2001. Chennai has the proud distinction of being the first metro in India to be rabies free for well over a year thanks to the Corporation’s initiative. The Blue Cross was the pioneer in the ABC programme, suggested by them in 1964 and being one of the NGO’s in the city carrying out this programme along with People for Animals (PfA). The Commissioner was pleasantly surprised to learn of the large number of cat sterilisations being regulary done by the Blue Cross – almost a 1000 cats were caught and neutered/spayed last year and returned to their localities. The Blue Cross runs India’s largest cat ABC programme, with help from the Marchig Trust.

Do you want to make a difference to the world everyday? It doesn’t take much and can be incredibly rewarding.  Did you know, for instance, that Rs 10 is what it costs us per day to feed a puppy at Blue Cross? A contribution of Rs 10 per day (works out to roughly Rs 300 a month) is easy on your wallet and assures you that you have fed a baby animal for an entire month! Residents at our Velachery shelter have been rescued from dire situations. Some are abandoned as puppies, many have been run over by callous hit-and-run drivers and hundreds more are brought in by our ambulance in response to distress calls from compassionate people who notice sick or injured homeless animals. All they want is a safe place and food to eat while they recuperate and look for a second chance at happiness: adoption by a loving family.

By making small, regular contributions, you can make a tangible, positive impact on their lives. Choose from our many options below (or make a general donation that go towards a multitude of other expenses that include medical care and shelter costs) and be guaranteed that your money goes directly to the animals: we don’t spend on marketing and we don’t have administrative expenses either. Except for hands-on staff, Blue Cross is run with the help of unpaid volunteers who spread the message of animal welfare on an honorary basis.

GENERAL
Feeding a kitten or puppy per month – Rs 300
Caring for a handicapped dog for a month – Rs 300
Caring for a bird per month- Rs 150
Fuel costs (approx) for one rescue- Rs 100
Vaccination against distemper- Rs 200 per vaccination

ANIMAL BIRTH CONTROL (one time expenditure per animal)
ABC for male dog: Rs.500
ABC for female dog:Rs.600
ABC for male cat: Rs.400
ABC for female cat: Rs.450

Since all the services provided by BCI - rescues, medical care, food and shelter- are provided free of cost to homeless animals, our only source of income is donations from the public. Will you be a hero for one of our animals today? Join us in making the world a kinder place to live in, one animal at a time. Email info [@] bluecrossofindia [.] org for details.