Tree Of Life For Animals

We would be nothing without our wonderful staff. The Tree of Life for Animals has been so lucky to find people that are so dedicated to their jobs in animal welfare.

Every day, our staff work long hours in tough conditions, yet despite this, they never complain and work silently towards creating a haven where animals can feel cared for and loved. We’ve never actively looked for any of our staff, they have always come to us, when we least expected it. Now they are like a family.

Roshan

Roshan is a local boy brought up in Kharekhari village. He’s had a tough start in life as his father died, making him the chief breadwinner of his family while still a young teenager. When he was 18, he came with a local contractor to help build our kennels. Impressed by his dedication and hard work, we took him on. He works with Nadja and Bhanwar to look after all our cow and donkey patients as well as helping at the daily goat clinic.

Roshan feeding an orphan calf

Rahul

Rahul developed an interest for working at the hospital while visiting his uncle Dr Ashok on a trip from his native town of Kota. Again being academically minded he is also studying for a college qualification. It took Rahul a little while to get into the swing of things, having never worked with animals before but now he can be found mostly as part of the rescue team. He has recently got married.

Rahul helping with surgery

Sonu

Sonu is a fairly quiet and shy member of staff and joined the team in September 2007. Local to Ajmer, he is a childhood friend of Bunty and Annu, and he’s also a previous employee of the local Municipal Corporation. He can mostly be found in the preparation room, getting the dogs ready for their sterilization (neutering) operations.

Sonu with popular shelter dog three wheeler

Shaffiuddin

Shaffi, as he is known for short, is a very jolly, easygoing character and is the driver of our Animal Birth Control (ABC programme) vehicle. He goes out early each morning to catch the stray dogs for sterilization surgery and releases in exactly the same place, 3 days later. During any spare time he also helps with cleaning and feeding the calves. He is from Sawai Madophur near the famous Ramthambore National Park, where he used to drive jeep safaris in search of the elusive tiger.

Shaffi (L) helping get the dogs ready for release

Rajesh, Our rescue vehicle driver

Rajesh has been with us pretty much from the very beginning of TOLFA, but initially on a temporary contract basis. That temporary contract turned into a permanent job as 3 years later he was still with us and as commited as ever. Rajesh can be found working all hours of the day and night as driver of our rescue vehicle. He also takes the calls from our rescue phone, that come at all hours… one of the toughest jobs there is.

Rajesh (foreground) helping to rescue a donkey

Radshyam

I met Radhy, as he is called for short, at Pushkar Camel Fair 4 years ago when he was just 16 years. He was helping at his fathers shoe making shop. He’s very keen to learn any new task and picks up things very easily. Being academically minded, he is studying for a Bachelor of Arts qualification, while working. He is popular with volunteers due to his openess and keeness to practice his English. Brother-in-law to Parveen, he can normally be found on rescues.

Radshyam and Squirrel Nutkin

Santosh

Right at the beginning of TOLFA, before we even had a hospital, Santosh was assigned to us during the Urs Project, when we sterilised and vaccinated 250 dogs whilst working at a fire station. He came to help us clean out the rooms where the dogs were kept. Impressed by his hard work and ever smiling nature, I wanted to hire him, then and there but uncertain of the future of the hospital, he declined as he had a steady job with the Municipality. Fate had it that he would one day come and work with us and in September 2007, he joined out team.

Santosh and Edward Deuce

Vikram

Originally from Ajmer, Vikram is the nephew of Ramesh. Viki is nicknamed India’s next top model due to his height and good looks. His easygoing nature and inheritance of good animal catching skils has meant that since he joined TOLFA in September 2007, he’s primarily based in our rescue vehicle.

Vikram with a very relaxed Flapper

Kishore

Kishore came to us when we needed to build our puppy area and office and has stayed ever since. Brother-in-law to Manoj, we decided that as there’s always building work to do at the shelter and things to fix that, we would just plod on and build as the resources became available to us.

Incredibly hard working and with the building trade being short term work, he was so incredibly happy when we took him on as a permanent member of staff. When not building he helps the rest of the team with the animal care duties.

Bhawan

The youngest of the team, Bhawan is Nadja’s son and has the same work ethic. Kishore and Bhawan work very well together and need very little supervision after a building task has been assigned to them. Still training as a builder, he has been learning under Kishores watchful eye. He also takes over looking after the cows when his father takes an infrequent day off, having been brought up with them all his life.

Kishore and Bhawan finishing the cattle shade

Annu

Annu started working with us in October 2006 and took to the work like a duck to water. He absolutely loves dogs and can be seen anywhere in the shelter, talking to them, stroking them and taking them for walks.

As with Ramesh and Bunty (who he is related to) he has a special natural ability with animals and they are very relaxed in his presence. Annu is still training as an animal assistant at the moment and will be undertaking his animal assistant course soon.

Dog loving Annu with Chitori

Siteram 2

Siteram 2 is the brother in law of Siteram 1 which can get very confusing. He was incredibly shy when he first came to work with us in October 2006, but in the friendly and brotherly atmosphere that our staff maintain he has really come out of his shell.

As with Annu, Siteram is still training as an animal assistant at the moment and will go on the animal assistant course soon.

Siteram 2 relaxing on lunch

Alladeen

Alladeen is also a village man and our night guard. He started in September 2006 after our previous night guard left. In the day time he works as a painter and has also helped with putting the finishing touches to the painting of the hospital.

Alladeen outside the hospital

Dr Ashok

Dr Ashok started seeing practice with us while still at Veterinary College in January 2006. Already part of the team, in August 2006 we took him on while he completed his 6 months internship that Indian veterinary students are obliged to complete before finishing their veterinary degree.

He qualified as a fully fledged vet in February 2007. Dr Ashok has a very laid back nature making him a very easy person to get along with. He is in charge of our Rescue and Care Project.

Dr Ashok with one of his sterilised patients

Shishpal

Despite suffering major personal tragedy, losing his 2 year old son a month after starting the job in March 2006, Shishpal can always be seen with a broad smile on his face. Previously a rickshaw driver from the local village, he has adapted to the work very quickly and fitted in easily with the rest of the team.

Being a village man he is very practically minded and able to turn his hand to any job. He completed his animal assistant training in December 2006.

Shishpal taking care of a disabled donkey

Parveen

Parveen is the son in law of a family that I met and came to know at the annual Pushkar camel fair, and turned up at the hospital one day after seeing something about it in the newspaper asking for work. He started straight away in February 2006 and completed his animal assistant training in October 2006.

Parveen as with Siteram is very thorough and keeps the paperwork up to date. He has also started teaching some of the other members of staff that didn’t get very far in school, how to read and write.

Parveen feeding an orphan calf

Nadja

Nadja or Uncle as the rest of the staff like to call him is slightly older and a village man. I have never worked with someone that works SO hard. He puts his heart and soul into the job and will always be the first to arrive in the morning.

His work is mainly with the cows and donkeys and he is the only one that they will follow. He keeps the cattle shade and the grounds of the shelter absolutely spotless. He started work with us in November 2005.

Nadja keeping watch over the grazing donkeys

Bunty

Bunty has come so far since I first met him when he was working for the local council as a cleaner. Initially very scared of the dogs, he has now come full circle and is now one of the best catchers.

His soft and sensitive nature means that when he’s not on rescues with Ramesh, he can be found giving tender loving care to the very sick animals. His very laid back nature is popular with the volunteers. Bunty started work in October 2005 but again had helped with the annual Urs project and completed his animal assistant training in October 2006.

Bunty feeding a sick parrot

Siteram

Siteram also came to us as a trained animal assistant in October 2005. He is a good all rounder and particularly good at keeping records, looking after stock and making sure that the rest of the staff are behaving themselves.

He is also excellent at running the daily goat clinic which he does almost everyday and so has a good relationship with the local villagers. Siteram also attended the Donkey farriery course sponsored by The Donkey Sanctuary, India and has been instrumental in getting the Donkey Farriery clinics up and running.

Siteram taking care of two orphan puppies

Ramesh

Ramesh is a natural animal lover and is very practically minded when it comes to how to catch or treat them. He spends most of his days going out on rescues and has built up a rapport with many animal lovers in the community that now call on him everytime they see an animal in trouble.

He also has a very good knowledge of natural medicines. He is the joker of the pack and can be relied upon to keep staff moral high. Ramesh started permanently working with us in October 2005 although he had helped with the Urs project, and he completed the animal assistant training course held at Help In Suffering in Jaipur in December 2006.

Ramesh - a natural with the monkeys

Manoj

Manoj had been working with Dr Rais for sometime and begged him to take him with him when he moved to work for T.O.L.F.A. He started work for us in September 2005. Manoj, despite his diminuitive size is incredibly strong and can bring down a bull on his own.

He is very practically minded and can be relied upon to just get on and do the job under the harshest of circumstances. He came already trained as an animal assistant. In August 2006, Manoj attended a Donkey Farriery Course in Ahmedabad sponsored by The Donkey Sanctuary India.

Manoj treating a sick peacock