I’ve never really been much of a traveller, so the prospect of a month in India sounded like a great adventure. I had little idea of what to expect, but I was lucky- some of the previous volunteers were able to pass on some of their wisdom and a few tips!
Heather with just a few of the many pups we get in to the hospital
I found TOLFA by a happy accident whilst en-route to another animal hospital in Jaipur in November 2006. I never made it to the other hospital and had the great privilege to volunteer at TOLFA for several months.
When you arrive at the hospital, which is in the middle of an incredibly beautiful and rural desert valley, you are greeted by a happy collection of limping, twitching and wobbling animals, and the hyperactive Loopy Loo, plus the cheerful welcoming smiles of the fantastic team of staff.
Having no veterinary or nursing qualifications I soon found my niche as the ‘doctor of love’ dispensing huge amounts of TLC (and biscuits!) to the dogs and puppies, and caring for the very sick.
The work at TOLFA is often heartbreaking; caring for animals for days, sometimes weeks, only for them to die. But it is enormously rewarding too; seeing animals recover from seemingly impossible odds and having happy, healthy dogs, that you have treated, come up and greet you in the local towns. In this kind of work you have to focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.
The impact on the local community cannot be underestimated; the work on sterilisations, rabies control and rescue work of sick and injured animals of all shapes and sizes; providing valuable, regular employment for the dedicated team of staff; providing free clinics for the livestock of incredibly poor local farmers who manage, somehow, to scratch a living in the valley.
A trip to India is always going to be fascinating and memorable, but to spend time at TOLFA in this amazing region of Rajasthan is truly an unforgettable, life changing experience.
Kym Barratt November 2006 – July 2007
Kym and friends
Picture this; the day is hot and clear, the wind is blowing in my hair as we travel the dirt road to work on the scooty. For most of my journey incredible mountains and wondrous scenery surround me. Another day in beautiful Pushkar starts as I head into the craiggery as it’s called in Hindi, meaning village, where the animal hospital is. For three incredible weeks I was fortunate enough to be a part of the Tree of Life for Animals. Each day I was able to practice my developing veterinary skills while helping to improve the lives of many animals, including dogs, cows, goats, donkeys, cats, and even buffalo.As I think back to my time in India, I can’t help but remember all the friendly faces I got to know. Rachel, our fearless leader, always working hard to ensure everything was going the best it could. Dr’s. Ashok and Irschad, taking each day challenges in stride and tackling them in the best manner possible. And of course the incredible animal assistants, without which, TOLFA would not be the amazing family that it is. They are hard working, caring and diligent souls who completely grasp the importance of their role. Shishpal with his constant smile, Sitaram with his incredible heart, Manosh with his muscle, the GQ boys; Anu, Ramesh and Bunty, always joking around, and Nadja, Eddie and Kishok with their excellent animal husbandry.The most important lesson I learned from my time with TOLFA is the intrinsic worth of each and every animal. Whether the animal is deemed sacred by religion or not, it received the best care possible from everyone. I especially think of Biscuit, an aptly named female buffalo that was paralyzed in her hind limbs preventing her from standing. Despite this, Biscuit was the sweetest animal I have ever worked with. She has large and kind brown eyes framed by long dark lashes. Her doe-like gaze was her method of communication and as incredible as it may seem, she was always using them to inquisitively glance at me each morning while waiting for her inevitable biscuit.I look forward to my return to India to visit with village friends I have made in Pushkar, my TOLFA family and of course Biscuit and the other animals I have gotten close to, as well as the new ones I will have the opportunity to help. The Tree of Life for Animals is an amazing charity and I wish it all the best in its future growth. I feel honored to be one of two ‘guinea pig’ vet students and won’t hesitate to recommend this humbling experience to anyone.I miss you ‘guys’ (not cows!!)Laura, July 2007
Laura and Biscuit the Buffalo
I volunteered at TOLFA in between my fourth and final year of vet school hoping to gain some valuable (and much needed) surgical experience. What I got surpassed all my expectations! I was instantly struck at how much of a genuine difference the clinic made - the numbers of animals being treated on a daily basis was quite staggering especially for a clinic still in its infancy - I can only imagine how hard Rachel and her team have had to work in the past year!As a student it was an amazing opportunity to see things I’d never see in Scotland - especially with respect to cattle medicine. Many of the cows I saw had suffered road traffic accidents and sustained horrific compound fractures which would usually mean euthanasia in the UK, but it was incredible just how well they could manage after an amputation and some TLC. I still do a double take when I see a three legged cow strut pass!My trip overlapped the Festival of Urs, which involved mass dog catching and neutering - I can only describe it as manic! I would go in every morning to see Rachel surrounded by a sea of dogs, working away as if completely oblivious to the chaos around her (it took a cup of Nadja’s chai and a few deep breaths before I could even begin to function!) Everyone worked so hard during that time- it was incredible how much was achieved. The veterinary experience I’ve gained has been brilliant but it was the staff at the clinic who really made my trip- their generosity and kindness was truly humbling- they are such a special group of people - thanks everyone for making my visit so wonderful!Eilidh Gunn, July 2007 
Eilidh with Shispal and Sitaram, 2 of our animal assistantsRead more about our Project Raja Volunteer Scheme at the Tree of Life for Animals.
June 2007 saw the start of our Project Raja Volunteer Scheme. This is a new venture for us, but it seems to be proving popular, particularly amongst veterinary students.
Justin and Laura were our very first veterinary students to join us for a month and by all accounts they fitted in with the TOLFA team extremely well. The problem of their bags being in London whilst they were en-route to India and coping with the extreme heat didn’t put them off.
We are looking forward to the return of our ‘volunteer guinea pigs’ in the UK to find out how they got on.
Volunteers Eilidh and Serena are the new members of our team. We wish them all the best and hope they enjoy their experience with us.
Serena with one of her flock
In April this year, South Moor Vets in Devon held an Open Day with an Animal Charity theme. Because one of their vets Paul Kane had volunteered at the Tree of Life for Animals last August, we were privileged to be selected as one of their nominated charities.
Visitors reading about TOLFA’s work at the South Moor Vets Open Day
They had over 300 visitors on the day who got to wander around the surgery and view xrays, fleas under microscopes and the operating theatre as well as enjoying a raffle and games whilst tucking into a BBQ.
Despite the rain, everyone had a great time and managed to raise over £800 of which £150 was kindly donated to us.
Many thanks to everyone at South Moor Vets for their support.
Enjoying a BBQ at the South Moor Vets Open Day despite the rain
The display board so visitors were able to read about TOLFA’s work in India
One of our very first volunteers has written about her experience with us in August 2005 - the very beginning of our journey. It has just been published in the Veterinary Times magazine which is distributed to vets, nurses and veterinary surgeries throughout the UK.India’s Tree of Life for Animals—by Nadine Lock BVSc, Cert VAIn August 2005, the Indian charity Tree of Life for Animals embarked on its first major project and I was lucky enough to take part in it. Despite having an animal shelter that was only in the initial stage of being built, Rachel Wright, the founder of the charity had decided to take on a short-term relocation and Animal Birth Control program.For 6 days in early August the religious Urs festival takes place in the Rajasthani city of Ajmer. Pilgrims travel for weeks to reach the holy Dargah shrine, the surrounding area of which is home to scores of street dogs that live off scraps from the nearby restaurants. In previous years, the dogs have been rounded up in the preceding weeks and ‘disposed of’. Rachel, a British veterinary nurse passionate about animal welfare, was determined to offer a more humane solution and was thrilled to find support from the local municipal corporation.We were provided with a disused firestation to use as our base, and a team of willing students and cleaners to help us look after the dogs. The volunteer team consisted of 2 vets, an animal physiotherapist and a Battersea Dogs Home welfare officer from the UK along with 2 Indian vets, animal assistants (essentially veterinary nurses especially skilled at catching stray dogs) and drivers. For the first week, nights were spent catching the dogs and days were dedicated to making escape-proof shelters, assessing the new arrivals and providing treatment and basic care. The dog-catching was left to the experts and continued until all the dogs in the area had been found. Contrary to my expectations, the vast majority of the dogs were affectionate and gentle and those that had managed to escape from the confinement inside the firestation were waiting inside the gates each morning to welcome us with tails wagging.
Lots of dogs were neutered and vaccinatedThe neutering program started once we had around 40 dogs in the compound. Each dog was given peri-operative IV fluids, antibiosis, meloxicam, ivermectin and the all-important rabies vaccine. Anaesthesia was TIVA using ketamine and diazepam or ketamine and xylazine after a xylazine or chlorpromazine premed. This combination worked extremely well and there were no anaesthetic-related deaths. Spays were performed via a right flank incision to reduce the incidence of post-operative infection. I learnt from the Indian vets we worked alongside that intradermal sutures have to create a perfect closure so as not to attract flies. This is more difficult than it sounds and probably added an extra 5-10 minutes of surgery time, but having seen the outcome of some spay wound infections, it was time well worth investing.During the 2 weeks, a total of 150 dogs were neutered, vaccinated, had any wounds or diseases treated and then were safely returned to the streets on which they had been found. 1 bitch was euthanased due to an extensive transmissible venereal tumour and another 2 dogs sadly developed signs of rabies so were also euthanased.Word travels fast in India and our presence became known within a very short time. In addition to working with the dogs we were also called upon to attend to numerous cases within the city, predominantly the victims of traffic accidents. Rachels brief visits into town to buy supplies often took up most of the day as she was presented by one sick animal after another. This could be anything from a puppy to a cow or even a camel. On one occasion I found myself travelling to meet her on the back of the local chai shop owners motorbike, with fluids and medication to treat a collapsed donkey - the first I had treated since qualifying all those years ago.
Treating a sick donkey in the streetThe days were long, usually 16-18 hours of work, and often difficult and emotional but always rewarding. Our volunteer team all felt that the experience would stay with us forever. We were able to enjoy a beautiful country in the company of so many wonderful people whilst helping to give something back to the community and the animal population.The ongoing aims of the Tree of Life for Animals are to create a rabies-free environment; provide treatment and freedom from suffering for stray animals; educate villagers in basic veterinary care; provide a mobile veterinary unit in remote rural areas.If you would like to know more about the work of the TOLFA or are interested in volunteering or fundraising, please see our website www.tolfa.org.uk. The charity is currently in desperate need of funds so any help you can offer would be most welcome.Read Nadines original post about her volunteer experience with us.
Helen and Peter are currently on an adventure around the world. Their stay in Pushkar led them to discovering us and coming along to give a helping hand. You can read about their experience with us on their website.
Helen and Peters travel website - www.goneawol.net
Peter - Our Volunteer
Helen - Our Volunteer
One day Helen and Peter discovered a donkey in the street which had been badly injured by a large truck. They called our rescue vehicle straight away and then helped our staff, Bunty and Rajesh with a lift.
This got some local attention and Peter got his picture in the local newspaper.
The donkey was treated for shock and is currently being looked after at the hospital as he is suffering from hindlimb paralysis.
Peter and Helen’s rescued donkey
I have returned from my 2nd trip to visit the Tree Of Life shelter in India. The site has changed in the year since I was last there. The most obvious change has been the volume of animals that are now being treated on a daily basis. On site there were approx 55 dogs and puppies, 3 cats and 1 kitten, 10-12 cows, 5-6 donkeys, 1 monkey and 3 calves. All of these are fed, watered, medicated and cared for each day by the dedicated staff at TOLFA and any volunteers that are there to lend a hand.At this time of year it is mating season and so there are a huge number of dog fights and unfortunately the injuries all tend to become infected with maggots so it proves to be a busy time catching and treating several of these a day. Some can take weeks to fully heal. Operations occured daily whether it was a routine neuter or a leg amputation, a cow with a prolapse or a fractured leg.Once the dogs had recovered from their illnesses or injuries they were all neutered and vaccinated before being released back to the area they were collected from.The rescue vehicle is out all day everyday collecting ill and injured animals generally dogs and cattle. They arrive back at the shelter before lunch with anything rescued and again before closing between 5 and 6pm. They can bring back anything from 1 - 8 animals a day.
Kim and Twinkle the calfThere have been some changes with the hospital too - building work has already started to extend the premises to include an office and toilet, an exercise area, a food prep room and a mum and puppy area (so they are segregated from the other dogs). There are also the beginnings of a new cattle shed which is considerably larger than what is currently there - Rachel hadn’t realised how many cows and donkeys she would be treating.Rachels staff comprise of 10 animal assistants, a driver and a nightwatchman and are all dedicated and hardworking and great fun to work with. She also has great support from her new trustees and some local people she has met in the past year.Whilst I was there we had 15 wooden donation boxes made and given to us for free which we painted and distributed out to shops and hotels. Hopefully we can raise some valuable funds through these.At the end of my trip I was so ready for a break but now I cannot wait to go back there. It is such hard work and seems never-ending but Rachel is doing a fantastic job out there. I hope people will get to visit her sometime in the near future to get an idea of what it is like and what she is achieving.
Paul came on a trip to India with his wife Ann to assist us for 2 weeks. He came during Monsoon season when it is hot and very wet. His help was invaluable and he had managed to acquire and bring over a large amount of donated goods (medicines, books, dog leads etc…) from several people and companies in the UK which was greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your help Dr Paul.
N.B. All the vets in India get called Dr - no exception.
Dr Paul - Our Volunteer Vet
