Srinagar: Kashmir Animal Welfare Federation (KAWF), a non-governmental organization (NGO) run by two Kashmiri women, is fighting for animal welfare and rights in Kashmir.
KAWF has been handling a wide range of animal welfare and rights issues through various awareness campaigns.
The NGO was founded by Sanna Rasool Banday and Nighat Lone, both residents of district Srinagar, in 2018. KAWF feeds, rescues and treats injured animals like dogs, cats, monkeys, cows, birds and others. It has a rescue Centre in Tengpora Srinagar where the NGO shelters and treat the injured animals, and rehabilitation center at Samhua, SKUAST where the stray, rescued and treated animals are nurtured. The Tengpora Center has been provided to them by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) temporarily, whereas the rehabilitation center at Samhua, SKUAST has been sanctioned to them by the Government.
“From the beginning of my childhood, I was an animal lover and seeing stray animals hungry on the streets would always affect me. First of all, my friend and I started feeding stray animals voluntarily and gradually many volunteers got associated with us and with the passage of time, the establishment of NGO happened,” said Sana Rasool Banday.
“The society treats stray animals, especially dogs, like aliens and people don’t have a soft corner for them. We need to understand the fact that animals too have feelings,” she added.
Talking to Kashmir Images Municipal Veterinary Officer, Dr. Javid Rather, said: “We have temporarily allotted our premises to KAWF for helping the organization to carry out its animal welfare work.”
“We had also provided transport facilities to the NGO and will keep supporting the initiative,” he added.
