IN DEFENCE OF ANIMALS INDIA Project at Matheran

Matheran is a small hill station about 100 km north of Mumbai city. This hill station is a protected environment, with the result vehicles are not allowed to ply at this hill station and have to terminate at a place called Dasturi. People and cargo are therefore transported by horses / ponies. Despite there being more than 600 horses / ponies plying in and around Matheran, there is not a single veterinarian practicing there.

The horses plying at Matheran are better maintained and looked after, whereas the ponies carting goods from Neral at the foothill to Matheran, are in a very bad condition. They are made to carry heavy loads uphill, and once they reach their destination, they are tied together and made to run down hill, with the handler riding on one of the ponies. They make 5 to 6 such trips in a day. With no proper nourishment, medical care and rest, the condition of these ponies is extremely poor.

Dr. Rajnish was the first vet to be appointed for this project. He started holding camps from 16th November 05 and gradually his efforts started paying off with more and more "owners" bringing in their animals for treatment.

Unfortunately forIDA India, Dr. Rajnish had to leave in February 2006, which was a set back to this project. Thereafter IDA India recruited another vet, Dr. P. M. Bhosale, who received practical training in equines treatment by Brookes Hospital for Animals, India in New Delhi. Equipped with proper knowledge Dr. Bhosale has restarted the center, but this time at Neral, at the foothills of Matheran. From Neral he commutes to Dasturi, the point at which the vehicles terminate and horses start plying.
 
The main ailment in ponies used for ferrying cargo is lameness, malnourishment and digestive disorders. The lameness increases as they are never given rest. Also these ponies did not receive any vaccination or de-worming, with the result they usually were carriers of diseases, and spread epidemics like 'serra' to the healthy ponies in Matheran. This was until Dr. Bhosale started rectifying the situation, by deworming the animals and vaccinating them.

The ponies in Matheran are in better health, but for lack of veterinary expertise, the people tend to diagnose the ailments and treat the animals themselves, the result is sometimes disastrous. Ponies with high temperature and bloody eyes are still being put to work. Our endeavour is to make people understand that proper treatment and rest to ill animals, is in their own interest, as once healthy the animal will be more productive.

Having brought a great deal of succor to these working animals, Dr. Bhosale and his assistant Mr. Amit Kudtarkar now hold camps in nearby towns of Kalyan and Titwala, where horses are used in a big way to draw carts to ferry people.

As it stands today, the Matheran project is going on extremely well, and our dream of helping the horses of Matheran and nearby regions is finally coming true.