Eateries shut, they ensure strays eat

Every day, Janani Krishnamurthy cooks rice, dal, and mixes them with ghee and a tinge of curry powder to feed 50-odd stray dogs in Besant Nagar. “These dogs love masala and ghee. They empty the entire plate when I feed them,” she said.
Janani has been spending more than ?2,000 a day for the purpose since March when the lockdown was first announced. “These animals used to depend on the restaurants and food stalls in the area.But after everything was shut, they weren’t getting any food. Since I live around the area I took it upon myself to feed the dogs and cats, at least once a day,” said Janani, a trustee of Chennai Animal Rescue.
While she feeds them in the evening, Fatehraj Jain and his five friends have been feeding dogs, cats, and birds, everyday morning. “We have been doing this for nearly seven years now, but it became tough to go to the beach during the first few days of the lockdown. But then police let us feed the strays and the birds,” said Fatehraj.
Every day Fatehraj and his friends bring 150kg of grains, rice, pulses and rotis for the stray animals and birds. They also try and get donations from relatives, neighbours and those celebrating special occasions. “If everyone contributes a little, these animals will not go hungry,” he said.