: Returning From US, This Engineer Rescued 65,000 Animals in 15 Years #IndiaNEWS #Animal Welfare Mini Vasudevan was not going to be one of those Indians who merely complained about the plight of her

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Returning From US, This Engineer Rescued 65,000 Animals in 15 Years #IndiaNEWS #Animal Welfare
Mini Vasudevan was not going to be one of those Indians who merely complained about the plight of her home country while living abroad and earning in dollars.
When she moved back from the United States to India after 13 years in 2004, she was disturbed by the conditions in which stray dogs were living in her colony in Coimbatore. The pet owner, who prefers calling herself a ‘dog companion’, also came across families that treated dogs as a commodity and believed in keeping the animal outside the house.
Mini, who is an engineer, formed a group of like-minded individuals to help injured dogs, give food to strays, and conduct similar activities at a small scale.
This was till a life-changing incident occurred two years later, in November 2006. Mini was volunteering at a compound where the Coimbatore Municipal Corporation (CMC) was carrying out the Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. There, she saw that dogs were tied in chains, and some were inside the cage sitting in their own urine and feces. Appalled by these conditions, she wrote an email, attached some pictures, and sent them to animal welfare activist Maneka Gandhi.
However, Gandhi reverted with a stern response upon learning that Mini had just returned from the US.
“She didn’t think I was serious about improving things. She told me to stop complaining and start working. Her words haunted me for a few days, so I decided to go back to the CMC, this time with a clear agenda,� Mini recalls to The Better India.
Meanwhile, Gandhi reprimanded the CMC for their actions and directed them to cooperate with Mini. A few days later, Mini’s organisation Humane Animal Society (HAS) and CMC signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). HAS handled the programme and also established a shelter home on the land provided by the corporation.
Mini Vasudevan with a cat
Mini started fighting for the welfare of animals at a time when animal rights was not considered a pressing matter. Her efforts to rescue, vaccinate, and rehabilitate have impacted close to 65,000 animals, including dogs, cats, ponies and cows over the last 15 years.
She quit her job only three years ago to dedicate all her time to HAS. Mini says the organisation spends close to Rs 1 crore annually raised through donations to run the shelter and a sanctuary located on the outskirts of Coimbatore in Vazhukkupparai.
Establishing a wholesome shelter home
Mini hired Vets to treat injured animals
Mini was very clear on what she wanted her shelter home to look like. Volunteering at protection homes in the US was an eye-opening experience, she says.
“While I have loved animals all my life, it was only when I was in the US that I learnt how an animal is supposed to be treated.

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