 |
| Chitrak Pramanik and Sumanta Das felicitated by Susmita Mandal of For the Animals for their contribution to wildlife conservation |
On December 28th and 29th, 2024, Kolkata witnessed a unique festival, the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival, that celebrated the non-humans with whom we share our Planet Earth and the affectionate bond between them and us. The festival not only recognised the warmth and joy brought into our lives by our companion animals but also taught us about the need to save wild animals that are so vital to our existence. The event, held at the Asim Memorial Ground, Kolkata, was organised by For the Animals and Kolkata Animal Welfare Indian Foundation (KAWIF) with support from Animals First Aid (USA).
On the afternoon of January 28th, people started pouring into the Asim Memorial Ground. A stage was set up in the centre of the field, with stalls and other installations along the borders. Attendees included members from various animal welfare and wildlife conservation organisations, pet owners, and others who were simply fascinated with the natural world.
The day's first event was a sit-and-draw art competition for children based on the theme 'Nature and Animals'. The participants got very busy painting, each putting in great effort to showcase their thoughts on the natural world around them, and their creativity came out beautifully on paper. Next was a critical session - the Animal Law Training Session. Often, many issues regarding animal welfare crop up, but the responders are sometimes unaware of the existing laws applicable to such matters. Hence, the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival allowed people to interact with eminent animal rights lawyers and activists and be enlightened by them about animal welfare laws, ways of addressing cruelty cases, etc.
 |
| Ramp walk of dogs at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
Next came the Pet Ramp Show, an event that brought smiles to everyone's faces. Pet dogs of various sizes and shapes, but all equally adorable, went on the main stage and walked on the ramp with their parents. In the end, medals were given out to all of them. The heartwarming show was followed by the Caregiver Acknowledgement session, where individuals who made great efforts to save animal lives—be it domestic or wild animals—were felicitated for their noble work.
 |
| People attending the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. Image credit: Pratyusha. |
Thus, the first day of the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival ended successfully with everyone now eagerly waiting for the exciting events to follow the next day.
Sunday, December 29th, was bright and beautiful. Once again, the Asim Memorial Ground was all decked up to welcome the many two-legged and four-legged festival attendees.
 |
| A presentation on wildlife conservation by Chitrak Pramanik at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
The day's first event was a Wildlife Campaign session aimed at creating awareness about urban and rural wildlife found in and around Kolkata. Chitrak Pramanik from Bagnan, Howrah, a well-known wildlife rescuer and conservationist, delivered an engaging talk where he spoke about the many lesser-known wild species, like fishing cats, jungle cats, civets, etc., with whom we share space and how they can be rescued when in distress or danger. He also spoke about the need to conserve these species.
 |
| Wildlife awareness creation campaign at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
Chitrak and his colleague, Sumanta Das, an ace snake and other wild animal rescuer, also set up a wildlife awareness creation camp at the venue. They displayed posters that educated people about the dos and don'ts of dealing with wild animals. Chitrak and Sumanta also responded to numerous questions from the attendees regarding wildlife conservation.
In addition to the events, the festival also helped pet parents get free health check-up for their pets from reputed vets. Animal first-aid training sessions were also held. For wannabe pet parents, there was an opportunity to adopt desi dogs as pets.
 |
| Adoption stall at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
Day 2 also had an Animal Law Training Session followed by the Desi Dog Show. The latter celebrated India's very own native dog breed - those that roam the streets of the country and are sometimes adopted by kind-hearted souls who recognise their true worth. The show's objective was to advocate for the adoption of street dogs. Physically challenged dogs were also part of the show and captured many hearts with their charming behaviour.
 |
| Book launch event at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
The memorable day ended with a book launch and prize distribution. The book, an anthology of fiction and non-fiction articles related to nature and animals, was entitled "A Brief Existence and Other Short Writings on Nature and Animals."
 |
| Book published at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival |
Thus, the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival ended on a very high note. It was not just about having tons of fun but also about education and awareness creation.
From the perspective of a conservation storyteller, I would say that the festival was an amalgamation of the wildlife conservation community and the animal caregiving/welfare community. It provided an opportunity for both to interact to find solutions to common problems.
 |
| People with their pets at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival. |
Presently, many issues related to wildlife conservation, like the predation of wild animals by free-ranging dogs and cats and the risk of disease transmission between domesticated and wild species, demand urgent attention. By adopting street animals, keeping them indoors, spaying/neutering them, and vaccinating them, the caregiving community is doing a great job of reducing the pressure of the free-ranging dog/cat population on wildlife. Wildlife conservation organisations can further harness their efforts to scale up the process.
 |
| Caregivers with differently abled dogs at the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival |
Given their compassionate nature, many people who take care of street dogs and cats also rescue wild animals from dire situations, like birds trapped in kite strings or those injured by the bursting of crackers. However, they are sometimes not very familiar with handling wildlife and their rehabilitation. Wildlife experts can educate and train such caregivers to help save more lives of wild animals.
The more voices speaking for the voiceless, the stronger their case will be. Thus, animal welfare activists can work with the conservation community to fight situations where wildlife laws are violated or the natural world is threatened, and more voices are needed to bring about positive change. For this to happen, knowledge needs to be shared between the two communities to ensure that both can unite for the same cause.
Thus, the 4th Kolkata Animal Festival taught us the importance of creating a fairer world in which every species has a chance to live a better life.
No comments:
Post a Comment