By Leslie Robinson | Founder
Dear People... Dear Animal Lovers... Dear Supporters.
Namaste. I bow to your Innermost Selves.
In these most difficult of times the Shelter is simply going beautifully.
There are many good shelters in India, but ours is unique. The Grace of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, and the other exalted Beings of this holy town is palpable. Inside, the Shelter is permeated with love. Some people experiencing it for the first time get teary because they didn't know a place such as ours existed. On the streets, many say they have never, in India, seen people so caring to the animals. And the animals so open to the people.
When we opened in 2007, it was awful. The worst I had seen. There were 350 suffering and dying animals on the streets. Widespread abuse. People avoided coming here. Most visitors to Ramana Maharshi Ashram would not stop for chai or a coconut across the road, because it was too emotionally disturbing to be approached by the pleading suffering puppies and dogs that were abundant.
Today Tiru is totally different. The homeless dog population has stabilized for the first time in forty years, and it is rabies free. There are no more suffering and dying dogs on the streets. There are 10,000 fewer puppies born each year - almost all of whom would have suffered and died. There is no longer widespread abuse, and thus, very few aggressive dogs.
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE HOMELESS DOGS AND THE PEOPLE AMONGST WHOM THEY LIVE DAY IN, DAY OUT, HAS BEEN TOTALLY TRANSFORMED.
Many years ago, my Baba told me, "A physician heals with the Heart." Our belief is that a creature must feel safe, cared for, and loved for deep healing to take place. So the very core of all our Work is demonstrative Love. Touching. Stroking. Holding. Reassuring. And yes, kissing. This truly, truly is a special animal shelter.
We treat every animal in need completely free of charge, regardless of whether they are homeless, wild, or domestic. That includes operations! Over the years, we have cumulatively given over 300,000 treatments to animals as in-patients or thru our shelter clinic, taking in dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, birds, peacocks, deer, horses, cows, rabbits, snakes, owls, mongooses, ducks, chickens, squrrels, eagles, reptiles, and so on.
Among shelters of larger municipalities:
The general citizenry, the Municipality, business owners, the Police Department, and the Forest Department are very grateful. Generally, everyone is grateful.
And we, too, are grateful for the way it has unfolded. We pray that the knowledge we have been given of how to transform the relationship of the animals with the people - and how to uplift the human community - spreads far and wide. It is so important to millions across India. And in other countries.
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This Report, like many of the others, gives an overview of the energy our Work has generated to lift suffering from both the animal realm and the human realm.
I also discuss why the traffic in Tiru is so difficult for the Precious Ones.
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To remind you of the level at which we are operating, below are our STATISTICS SINCE OPENING JAN.2007 THRU AUG.2024.
MONTHLY (these figures are current), we:
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While the stats are impressive, they are not the main thing. THE IMPORTANT THING IS HEART! For deep healing to take place, a creature has to feel safe, cared for, and loved.
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About the traffic. There are specific circumstances as to why Tiru has one of the most difficult situations for animals and traffic accidents. All other municipalities are on flat land, where there is generally a lot of space for animals to be safe from heavy traffic. Not true of Tiru. The municipality is built around the sacred mountain, Arunachala. So there is much less flat land. Further, Tiru is one of the holiest places in southern India, and draws ever-increasing numbers of people in cars. The traffic is narrowly concentrated around the mountain, and with the increasing number of cars, there are more and more accidents.
When we opened in 2007, there were 5 to 10 emergency rescues a month, which was high for that time. A year ago there were 40 to 70. We now have 100 to 120 rescues a month! IN A NORMAL SITUATION THIS WOULD BE 5 OR 10. This extreme frequency of rescues could only happen in Tiru, and the intensity of traffic is completely beyond our control. We hope it has now leveled off.
We have our six best Staff doing the rescues. Normally, two go out on each rescue. (They are very loving and good.) About half the accidents are not serious. The Precious Ones are basically mostly in shock, so are quickly able to go back to their territory and be free. However, I sometimes worry about the overload for the Staff. Please say a prayer for them.
I have recently asked three Spiritual Masters who are the heads of three major ashrams to do ongoing practices to help protect the Precious Ones.
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Here are some new Rescue Stories from Vishwa. For many of you, it's your favorite part.
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Before closing, I always like to say something about my beloved Dr. Raja and Vishwa who are now as I enter "old age", actually running the Shelter. (I am overseeing and advising.) They are s-o-o-o good, it is humbling. At times I feel inadequate. What a blessing they are! They have both been with me from the very beginning. And it is together that we have built this wonderful shelter.
I sometimes call Dr. Raja "Schweitzer", after the famous Nobel laureate philanthropist, Dr. Albert Schweitzer. One of his most profound qualities is his deep silence. When people converse with him, there is no "window-dressing" of created personality. He relates from the unadorned quietness of his own being in a way that you know is real and true. Thousands of people love this man. You simply know there's no judgement, no duplicity. It is within that quietness and stillness that Dr. Raja cares for animals. And all experience it. Many owners come from as far as 150 kms away to have him treat their creatures.
Many of you know that I sometimes call Vishwa "The Martian" because an Earthling couldn't do what he does. He oversees all the operations. He is up at least seven or eight times a month in the middle of the night on emergency rescues that are often more that 20 kms out of town. And he never tells me when he's overloaded, which he always is. If I feel he's in a money bind, the conversation goes, "Vishwa how in the hell can you be tight on money? Payday was only five days ago." And if I press him, I find out he'd run into a guy who was taking four cows and two calves to be slaughtered, and Vishwa bought them for 30,000 rupees with his own money...Four weeks later, I found out he bought four calves under similar cirumstances for 12,000 rupees. (They were all very weak, and he was only able to save one.) And he's supporting these creatures in a cowshed setup he has behind his house...on his money!!! My beloved Vishwa.
And I am so deeply touched by the Staff. So little of what's going on now depends on me. Inside the Shelter, It isn't an atmosphere that is contrived. The relationship between the Staff and the animals is close and real. Everyone cares for the animals differently according to their own essence. Things ebb and flow quite naturally. The animals experience that, are a part of it, and feel safe and secure. They have choices. They have lives. They're not just in captivity with people "being nice to them".
What a Blessing it is to be able to lift suffering from even one creature. What a blessing it is to experience the Blessing of being able to do it.
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This brings us to the end of the Report.
Hoping that each of you is doing excellently. That you're unfolding beautifully and strongly inside. My Baba said that nothing is gained without some inner austerity.
As in previous reports, I've included a collection of photos. Hoping you enjoy them. Remember...the theme is simply LOVE.
PLEASE...REMEMBER...DONATIONS.
THE PRECIOUS ONES NEED US...AND WE NEED YOU!
RECURRING DONATIONS, EVEN QUITE MODEST ONES, ARE BEST FOR US.
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With love, blessings, and wishes for all things good...May we All, each of us, act in a way that emits uplifting, healing energy. May we be Guided and Protected. May we be kind to each other. May those not as fortunate prosper.
Leslie, the Ageing Expatriate Warrior
Arunachala Animal Sanctuary & Rescue Shelter has earned the following badges on GlobalGiving:
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By Leslie Robinson | Founder
By Leslie Robinson | Founder
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