Stray dogs are always at the risk of becoming a roadkill on busy Indian roads. But one animal rights activist named Tauseef Ahmad from Mangaluru has been tying reflective collars around the neck of stray dogs to help them to not end up as roadkills.
Mangaluru: To save stray dogs from being hit by vehicles, Thousif Ahmad has been tying reflective collars around their necks. Ahmad says, “it has been 1.5 months I’ve started this project & luckily not a single dog with a collar around its neck has been injured.” #Karnataka pic.twitter.com/fLDmbNCcoh
— ANI (@ANI) April 24, 2019
The 31-year-old MBA graduate and realtor has already tagged over 300 dogs with reflective collars.
“Based on my own observations, I gathered that most of these accidents occur during the night time due to the lack of visibility of the stray animals. Especially close to the highway, there are an unaccounted number of deaths of these animals on the road. The reflector belt on dogs not only saves the lives of these animals, but it also saves the lives of the drivers,” he quoted, pointing to multiple incidents involving stray dogs and two-wheelers.
Ahmad believes a simple reflector can help prevent such mishaps. Each reflective belt costs INR 40 and he had bought around 500 from Indore using his personal savings.
“We have already distributed them to few local residents and animal lovers to identify stray dogs and protect them. Inspired by the initiative, few locals have also taken into sponsoring ‘stray’ animals with belts,” he said.
Last year, Tauseef was the youngest recipient of ‘Best Street Care and Rescue’ award at India for Animals (IFA).
Have you done something like this for the community dogs in your area? Share with us in the comments below!