10 SIMPLE WAYS TO HELP ANIMALS 

These simple acts practiced at the individual level can go a long way in improving the lives of animals and birds around you. Take the initiative, spread the message and make a difference.

  1. Feed stray dogs. Hunger is the biggest enemy of a homeless being and has thousands of stray animals lead miserable lives and die agonizing deaths. Yet, while stray cattle can feed on leaves and grass and, while cats hunt birds and rodents for themselves; the only sources of food for stray dogs are garbage dumps, which most times do not assure even a single stomach-full meal. Moreover, these garbage dumps are the biggest source of disease and infection in dogs. So, feed the stray dogs in your locality at least once a day. And don’t forget to keep bowls with clean water for them in and around your neighbourhood, especially during the summer.
  1. Keep water for birds. They too feel tired and thirsty like all of us and like all other animals. Thousands of birds drop dead in conditions of extreme heat during the summers. Keep water in mud bowls on your terrace or in the park in front of your house. You will see both birds as well as squirrels trot over for respite. You can also keep bird feed (bajra, makki etc.) next to the water in a separate bowl or scatter it across one area in the park.
  1. Do not dispose left-over food and kitchen waste in polythene bags. Your garbage bags go straight to the municipal waste dumps, where cows go to feed everyday. Since cows do not have sharp teeth or sharp nails, they are unable to tear the polythene bags; and so consume them in order to consume the food inside them. The consumed plastic produces lethal toxins in the stomachs of cows, which ultimately cause the most excruciatingly painful deaths. So dispose off all edible wastes directly or by wrapping them in paper. And make sure not to throw pins, nails or plastic items along with the edible waste.
  1. Do not cage birds. They are meant to fly in open skies. And they are by no means, items for decoration. Educate your friends, family and neighbours of the cruelty that is involved in the act of keeping birds as pets. Imagine how you would feel if you were locked up in a room for the rest of your life. So no matter how big the cage is; it is outright cruelty to confine a bird and deny it the freedom to be free and to fly.
  1. Do not buy dogs. Instead give a home to a needy animal. When you buy a dog, you are supporting the cruel profit-making practice of breeders, who are only interested in making money and for whom dogs are nothing more than objects to be sold. So why not adopt a homeless Indian breed dog or an abandoned pet? Indian breed dogs are beautiful, intelligent, friendly, faithful, extremely sturdy and good with children as well. Yet they live miserable lives as a result of being neglected on the streets and in turn, due to accidents, diseases and the lack of food, water and shelter. Pets which are abandoned on the streets too are seen dying in misery, as they have not learnt how to fend for their food and security. So make place in your heart and home for a helpless and homeless animal. And encourage others to do the same.
  1. Oppose the use of animals for entertainment. Extremely cruel methods of training are used on animals to make them perform so called ‘entertaining’ tasks. Monkeys and bears do not dance naturally at the sound of a damru; they are beaten and tortured into doing so. Similarly, snakes do not dance at the sound of the been. Snakes do not have ears. What looks like them dancing to the tune of the snake charmer’s instrument is in fact, a defensive reaction from the snake as it feels threatened by the long stick-like structure of the been. So do not encourage snake charmers and madaris by inviting them to perform for children. Also, do not encourage animal rides. Imagine how you would feel if you were made to sit after a walk of five minutes, stand up immediately with another load on your back, walk again for five minutes, then sit, then immediately stand, then walk - so on and so forth - all the way from morning to evening. Your knees would suffer with pain and fail before you would even know it. Now imagine the kind of physical suffering that the tall elephants and camels have to go through during parties and during seasonal festivities. So voice against the use of animals for entertainment and as commodities to make money.
  1. Use cruelty-free products. There are plenty of products in the market that are animal friendly, that is, they do not test on animals or do not use ingredients extracted from animals. Boycott all products that involve animal-testing procedures or use ingredients extracted from animals. Also, reject all goods made from leather, furs or skins of other animals, including silk. Up to 900 silkworms are immersed in scalding hot water, steamed, or electrocuted alive to make one silk shirt. Millions of animals worldwide lose their lives to the manufacturing of daily use products and to the activities of animal-testing, especially in the cosmetic industry. We can all help save many lives by making informed choices as consumers of goods.
  1. Plant trees. The activities of deforestation associated with attempts towards development are quickly destroying the homes of millions of birds and animals, who live in and depend on trees and forests for their survival and protection. Moreover, with the scare of global warming raising urgent alarms for the need to go green, it is time we all do our bit to help improve the environment. So take the initiative to plant trees once every year and nurture them well. Also, make an effort to help save more trees by using recycled paper and by encouraging the use of pencils and paper economically. 
  1. Keep important phone numbers handy. At seeing any injured, sick or diseased stray animal or bird, make sure to inform the nearest animal hospital, shelter or welfare organization at the earliest. Quick action from your end will assist in providing timely help and medical care to the ailing animal or bird. So it is important that you keep with you at all times, numbers of important animal rescue services and animal shelters/hospitals. Feed these numbers in your mobile phone or write them down in a small diary that you tag along.
  1. Spread the word of kindness. Educate your friends, family and neighbours about the various needs of animals and birds and encourage them to do their bit for the wellbeing and welfare of animals and birds around them. Very significantly, preach kindness towards all living beings amongst children and youngsters. Teach them the importance of feeling concern for and helping out an animal or bird in need. And encourage them to voice against and oppose all acts of cruelty or meanness, be it in the form of stoning or kicking an animal or simply being a heartless and careless pet owner.