For 25 years now, the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary in Chennai has been tending to abandoned and injured animals in the city.
Run by the Theosophical Society in Besant Nagar, the clinic-cum-shelter over the years has also been ravaged by time and natural disasters like the Chennai floods and Cyclone Vardah.
And so now, the organisation has joined hands with animal activist Shravan Krishnan to raise funds to revamp the dispensary.
"It is a good facility, has a huge space and is centrally-located. We want to renovate the place and get advanced medical equipment so that we can give the best treatment to animals," says Shravan.
Currently, the shelter has over 50 dogs and 10 cats and once the shelter gets a face-lift, the volunteers expect to see more people come forward to rescue animals.
The Rs 12 lakh that is currently being raised through an online crowdfunding campaign will be used in the running of the animal dispensary for a year.
"We are getting into it (the initiative) with a plan. There are lots of things that need to be taken care of, like improved manpower, infrastructure, equipment and other running expenses," he states.
They also want to keep their services accessible and affordable in order to encourage people to not hesitate when they spot an animal which is hurt or in danger.
"When I started rescuing animals four to five years ago, I had to shell out around Rs 1,000 each time I took an animal to a private clinic. Also, many people just don't know where to take an animal after rescuing them," he says.
While organisations such as Blue Cross and People For Animals also operate in the city, Shravan says the revamped Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary will be helpful to those living in South Chennai.
They are also working on other facilities such as an emergency helpline number, an ambulance for animals, trained staff and getting a better animal birth control (ABC) programme.
To contribute, go to Rebuild the Besant Memorial Animal Dispensary.