Feeding 300 dogs a day?! Meet Sai Vignesh, a man with a rescue mission.
We are in conversation with the 22 year old Sky Vignesh, an animal lover, rescuer and activist. He runs the Almighty Animal Sanctuary in Truvalu, which is close to Chennai, the state of Camonado, India. He has rescued and rehabilitated hundreds of dogs, cats, cattle and birds and provides a permanent, safe haven for these animals
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 1:11
And then during the 2015 Chennai flood, I witnessed many animals being subjected to suffering and all because of the disaster. And I really wanted to do something. So I rescued my first animal from the Chinese flood. So that's how I started rescuing the animals. And now the sanctuary is home to more than 80 animals
Did you say 80 animals? That is absolutely incredible. Well, it's one thing to take care of a stray animal or a sick animals. But it's a huge financial and emotional decision to open and run an animal shelter. Was there a particular moment that inspired you to open your own animal sanctuary? What were the preparations or background and work you had to do to open an animal sanctuary
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 3:17
Yes, ma'am. I agree. So when I started driving the animals, I just couldn't stop that. And at one point I had closer to 15 to 20 dogs in my home alone because I didn't have any space to keep them. And it created a huge problem for me. And between 2016 to 2019, we literally had to shift more than eight to nine houses. So it's all because of the issues we face from the neighbors and house owners and all
You've mentioned that your parents are very supportive and your dad, like, helps you out with the expenses. I'm sure there are a lot of other people like HUMANISTA, who support and admire what you do. But are there also people who interfere with you carrying on your work? Does that discourage you? How do you deal with that? How do you deal with people like that
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 1:43
And apart from that, I have also filed causes, activism, illegal slaughters and all. And to this state, I have rescued more than 50 cattle from illegal slaughtering, which includes cows, Buffalo, Bulls, cops and all. And sometimes they even slaughter the pregnant ones. So I have rescued them, and they are actually doing very happy in the sanctuary. So I have faced threatening and all from the butchers as well. And I'm still facing and I have even got attacked
I'm so glad that you are taking it in a positive stride. Well, you Sai you're a student, and you also do part time online web development for most people of working part time and being a student itself would keep their plate full. But how do you manage time with your sanctuary as well? What is your typical daylight? Could you walk us through? I your schedule
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 2:00
So basically, my day starts at 06:00 a.m.. And exercises and all. I start my work on helping the animals. So whether it is taking the animal to the vet or following up on the cases in the court or even working on the website, I split everything and I'm working on it based on that and the city in the evening, too. Apart from that, I sleep at around 02:00 a.m.. After feeding all of the trade offs at around 02:00 a.m.. Every day
So it's basically that we find time to do the things that we love. Well, you mentioned that you filed a few animals abuse cases. Do you think the current legal system or the laws are in favor of protecting the animals, the rescuers, and effectively punishes the people who harm the animals. What do you think, Chris? Would be some legislative changes that should happen in the future
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 2:48
So I believe that we all should realize that it is our basic responsibility to help the animals and be kind to them. And as for our Constitution too, it is our fundamental duty. And our father of nation. Mahatma Gandhiji also said that we have to be kind to animals. And he also said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated
I completely agree. I think it's every human's moral responsibility to be kind and compassionate towards other living beings. In the current situation, many animal shelters that are privately owned and even the Blue Cross are running on full capacity and they're usually overburdened. Could there be a long term solution to this problem of a large number of animals that need care? How do you think an average person can contribute in helping animals
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 4:02
Yeah. So you are correct on that, ma'am. So I would say that there are only few animal rescue organizations in the city and there are only some animal rescuers. So since the number of the animal rescuers, I mean, the individual rescuers and the organizations are low, so they easily get overburdened. So that is the main thing and main reason behind this. So what I would say is since this is saying the little drops of water forms tea
Sai Vignesh
@M.SaiVignesh · 3:21
So first of all, I would like to thank you for giving me an opportunity to express myself on this platform. So thank you ma'am. And about this question, I would like to request everyone to do their bit for animals because I feel that we have to do as much as possible for the animals. So everyone listening to this. Please do something for the animals in your area
Thank you, Sai Viign, for having this conversation with me and for those who are listening. The Almighty Animal Sanctuary has an ongoing fundraiser. The links to that will be in the description. Also, the links to their Facebook page and their website would also be there. Thank you so much for listening until next time. That's a wrap from Chaz