People love Alsatians but throw acid on local dogs'

Ayesha Chundrigar bemoans lack of regard for animals

On a recent episode of FWhy Podcast with Frieha Altaf, Ayesha Chundrigar brought a fresh perspective to animal welfare in Pakistan. As the founder of the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF), Chundrigar has revolutionised the way animals are cared for in Karachi.

"What we have created for animals in Pakistan, I've never seen a facility like it in the world," she said confidently. "I've seen many shelters around the world, but mine works on a different idea. If you see most shelters abroad, they have a very depressed atmosphere. They function on the idea that if the animals aren't adopted, they'll be sad in a cage forever."

"A lot of them euthanise animals if they aren't adopted after a certain amount of time. I don't agree with these concepts, so I started a sanctuary. It's not a shelter. I don't believe in cages. New animals are kept in cages for security or if they need to heal from injury or surgery."

What's fascinating about ACF is that it's not just open to animals. "We have a lot of schools coming in to visit, a lot of volunteers," she explained. The sheer scale of what she manages on a daily basis is impressive. "We have 1,500 animals which leaves little space for humans."

But animal welfare in Pakistan isn't without its challenges, especially when it comes to public attitudes. Chundrigar candidly discussed the societal disregard for animals, particularly local breeds. "People don't want to adopt any 'defective' animals," she pointed out. It's a harsh reality. "So, the ones that have been hit with rocks, that have been attacked with acid. People spend so much money on Alsatian's, but they throw acid on their own Pakistani dogs." Her words hit hard because they expose a cruel hypocrisy - a misplaced sense of value placed on breeds rather than lives.

She shared one particularly gut-wrenching story of a dog who had endured unimaginable cruelty. "She was kicked in the face repeatedly to the point of near death and she had newborn babies that were trying to feed on her. She refused to die. I picked her up, bandaged her up and treated her until she had enough energy to move around. The way this dog was injured was that she was trying to protect her newborns from being attacked by people throwing rocks. Any mother would react the same way," she shared.