Love Thy Neighbors, Even Animals

Shakespeare said, ‘Love thy neighbors’. That is exactly what Mrs Jayshree Thakkar and her family does.

A family of four living in Thane, are very hospitable to all their neighbors including the stray animals living around them.

“Our kids are not scared of animals. In fact there have been times when we have stopped the car while traveling, to feed and play with a pup we find on our way,” laughed Thakkar.

One evening, the family was enjoying their time together, when a neighboring kid informed them of a kitten stuck in their scooter. A few days old extremely thin and sick looking kitten was mewing incessantly from under the front cover of their scooter. The family went down to help the vulnerable animal out. They rescued the crying kitten, fed it and took it to a shelter to get it treated.

“It is no big deal. A friend of mine, who lives in Pune, saved a snake stuck on a tree during the kite flying festival because of the ropes. It was severely dehydrated and needed help. I would have done the same had I been there,” Thakkar said.

We all shy away from helping out animals in distress fearing they might attack us, or might infect us with some disease.

“Animals are very affectionate. They do not attack unnecessarily. And they are extremely loyal too. And if a loved one is sick, don’t we go near them to look after them? Do we get scared of getting infected then?” questioned Thakkar.

People these days are learning about animals, their contribution to the ecosystem and importance of their safety. They really appreciate the efforts taken by the animal welfare organizations. However, they refuse to participate themselves.

With mass killing of so many animals and birds, for reaping meat, there is an imbalance in the ecosystem. This would cause many species to extinct, sooner or later.

We need more such heroes who consider animal safety as their responsibility. And if we all look after all the beings in our neighborhood, we can develop a healthier ecosystem.

“It does not take a lot of effort. If you love them, they love you back. And if you do not know how to help them, all you have to do is make a phone call to get help,” said Thakkar.

So let us all build a healthy relationships with the living beings around us. And vow to help and protect every one for them. Only when every individual contributes, can we keep our neighboring animals safe, healthy and happy.

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Regards,
The CSR Journal Team