Twenty-five years ago, when Abodh Aras quit a well-paying corporate job and decided to work for the rights and welfare of stray dogs, many found it amusing. In the initial months after his exit, the bosses from the ex-company called to say he would be accommodated in the organisation if he desired. However, Aras who had converted his passion into his life’s mission, never looked back.
As the CEO of the NGO, Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD), Aras and his team have promoted several projects such as sterilisation, vaccination, awareness, birth control and adoptions that are focused on making the lives of stray dogs and cats easier. WSD’s dedicated approach to find homes for strays has resulted in well-attended dog adoption fairs and an increase in adoption numbers of pariah breeds. Aras has applied his MBA in Marketing to give WSD a professional edge and change the misconception that animal welfare workers care more about animals’ rights at the cost of humans. Above all, he views NGOs involved in similar work as fellow crusaders, not competitors.
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Some years ago, when Aras took an injured puppy to an animal hospital, but it died, he was deeply affected. To avert such a situation in the future, he thought of on-site first-aid as the solution, and even undertook training under a vet. Since no organisations were offering on-site first-aid training, WSD initiated the project in 1996 with Aras becoming a volunteer on-call. “Today, injured animals across the country receive on-site first-aid. I have personally trained several NGOs in it,” Aras tells Outlook. “People are more aware about the welfare of strays than they were years ago. This is a big change,” he says.
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