Dog feeders go the extra mile for starving strays during lockdown

Ever since the 21-day lockdown was announced to fight the coronavirus outbreak in the country, the breed of good Samaritans from the city has had another battle to fight — that of feeding the strays.
With restaurants closed, the leftovers have stopped and their source of scavenging for food is no more. Add to it the restrictions of movement of people and those who would regularly feed them haven’t largely been able to do so.However, animal lovers in Pune have stepped up and are going the extra mile (some, literally) to ensure the strays don’t go hungry.

For instance, working professional Priya Takki, who has been feeding close to 30 strays in Kharadi daily, expanded her span of feeding, area as well as the number of dogs in the last few days Along with her husband, Priya feeds close to 60 dogs every night now. “Due to the lockdown, restaurants and eateries are closed. For the strays, that is a source of food. I feed strays regularly, but I had to expand the feeding in my area with all the restaurants being shut,” shares Priya. And has this added to the average amount she spends on feeding? “With the regular number I used to feed, I would cook food for them. But it’s not possible to do so with the increased number. So, I buy around 50 biscuit packets a day now,” she says.


The Magarpatta area has a lot of animal lovers who would regularly feed strays. But with all of them confined to their homes currently, there was an increasing number of hungry dogs. The solution? A WhatsApp group! IT employee Priyanka Singh brought together like-minded people from the area on a WhatsApp group to contribute and coordinate well, so that at any given time, there is only a few people dispersed to do what they do. “The group has feeders from Magarpatta and Hadapsar and we make it a point to know where all of us are feeding strays at a particular time. This ensures that people don’t go to the same area. That way, we don’t crowd a place and also cover a larger area,” shares Priyanka. Since colleges too are shut, Priyanka and the others leave food with the guards and request them to feed the strays on campuses.” Priyanka also observes that a lot of people whose work falls under the essential services categories have also been helping feed the strays.
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Going out to feed the strays isn’t the only issue the volunteers have been facing. The lockdown has also led to many pet shops being temporarily closed, and so, collecting surplus food for the strays is another task. Many people have been collecting donations and others have been sponsoring for the kibbles. Kartik, who with his group, feeds at Magarpatta area, shares, “People who aren’t comfortable in stepping out to feed are contributing with purchases. So, the Amanora Pet Group has donated an amount to help us.” Kartik and his group have also divided their feeding turns to make sure one person isn’t burdened. He adds, “We work in four groups of seven to eight members each. A designated area is given to the team and they feed the dogs in the area once a day.” While some members cook the food, others feed the strays.


Many have run out of pet food, including the pet shops that are open. So, to suffice the need, home-cooked meals are being prepared for the strays. Research analyst Sangeeta Gogoi, a resident of Bavdhan, has been feeding the strays around her society without any financial support. She cooks and steps out to feed them late at night. Sangeeta says, “Since the lockdown, a lot of pet shops have run out of stock. So, I thought of cooking meals at home for the strays. Every day I cook around 2-3 kgs of rice with eggs, or sometimes rice with dal and potatoes, to meet the needs. It’s a task to do this alone, but I can’t let the dogs starving in this difficult time.”

With the increasing temperatures in the day, getting drinking water for strays is another problem faced by the feeders. Banking professional Purnima Mali, a resident of Pimple Gurav area, along with feeding the strays, has been tirelessly working to make sure the dogs get enough water. She shares, “With a few of my friends, I am making sure there is enough water for the strays. We have placed small water bowls in our locality where animals and birds can drink water from. The volunteers who feed the dogs carry small water bowls for the strays. The bowls are filled on every feeding round and the coordination is done via WhatsApp.”

Like dogs, cats and birds are also suffering due to lack of food. NIBM resident Mitali Chinmulgund, who already feeds more than 10 cats and dogs, mentions that she is making the most of the permissions right now because she never knows when the authorities may calls for a complete curfew. “Along with feeding the strays, I am also putting out food for the crows. We forget that birds like crows and kites to scavenge on restaurant leftovers and with that unavailable, they too are starving.”