A personal account by Aura Beckhöfer-Fialho, BFA, MDes, MCSD
I first met Avis Lyons last year when I volunteered for International Animal Rescue in Goa. She is in her early 60s and comes from Romford in Essex. It had been my first time in India as well as my first time volunteering for an animal rescue organisation. There was much to learn and become familiar with, all of which would have been far more daunting had it not been for Avis’s guidance and friendship. As a result, my time at Animal Tracks was both enjoyable and rewarding, and it was with great reluctance that I left when my three week holiday period came to an end. Following my experience in Goa, I realised that volunteering for International Animal Rescue was something I wanted to do again, so when Avis told me that there was a need for a new rescue centre in Kerala, I knew that I would find my way there sooner or later!
I landed at Trivandrum airport on 11 January 2003, exhausted from the long journey, yet happy to be back in India. Thankfully, Avis was there to meet me and, as we both rode in the motorised rickshaw, it struck me just how excited I was at the prospect of seeing the new rescue centre and meeting its residents.
We soon arrived at Sree Nilayam, which means ’House of Wellbeing’ in Malayalam. This is the site of the newest International Animal Rescue centre, where sterilisation facilities and medical care are provided for the street animals in the region. Having previously been a hospital, Sree Nilayam definitely suits its purpose: its vast expanse of wooded land and various enclosed areas are ideal for running an animal rescue shelter.
During my first tour of the property, I noticed that all twenty kennels were already occupied, largely by dogs who were receiving medical treatment (mange and maggot wounds being unfortunately common) or awaiting sterilisation. These were the very first patients, since the rescue centre had only been up and running for a few weeks. It was quite an exciting time to to be there!
Although our days were long, there was never a dull moment. There was always something to do, be it assisting the veterinary surgeon, administering basic medical care, caring for newborn puppies, cleaning the kennels, feeding the animals, walking and playing with them, or even retrieving the occasional escape artists - who usually returned of their own free will after much anxiety suffered on our part!
Since I was staying at the centre with Avis, I also got to know some of the permanent resident animals - at the time, the gang consisted of six dogs and one supremely confident cat - all of whom had a story to tell, and all of whom had by now forgotten their unlucky pasts. Some had only joined the centre a week before my own arrival, like Teddy, who had been found on the street, severely undernourrished and mostly hairless, while others had been there from the very beginning (Boo, now leader of the pack, had been abandoned and living on the roof of Sree Nilayam prior to Avis moving in). All were brought in and given equal amounts of care… and all remained, since the demand for adopting adult animals is extremely low, even in the best of circumstances.
While I was in Kerala for only three weeks, I learned and experienced many things there which I will never forget. Most of all, I will remember the animals I came to know by name, and I am confident in the knowledge that we made a positive change in their lives. I will remember the frail, scared and injured animals who came to the centre, the ’House of Wellbeing’, and gradually grew into healthy, self-assured individuals. And I will, of course, remember the people who laboured tirelessly to make it all work.
I am privileged to have seen for myself the very beginning of the impact International Animal Rescue will have in Kerala. In time, as a direct result of the sterilisation programme, the number of unwanted litters will diminish, resulting in fewer animals being abandoned and injured, and thus spared the suffering of so many of their present day counterparts.
I have since decided to return to Kerala in September, knowing that innumerable challenges will be awaiting, and that they will all be worthwhile.