This is our second attempt to launch this petition which has been ignored for many months by the Auroville Administration - now the situation has worsened and the shelter is facing shut down in one month.

This is the reason:

Crowd-Funding Donations Banned in Auroville - Shelter Survival is in Danger!

The Auroville Dog Shelter is facing yet another emergency that threatens the lives of all dogs and the crucial rabies prevention services it provides to the AV Community. A recent decision by the FAMC and auditors to ban all crowdfunding platforms, including Milaap and Donatekart, has eliminated a vital source of donations for the shelter. This, coupled with the FAMC's refusal to increase the severely inadequate monthly budget of Rs. 50,000, which falls far short of the minimum running costs of Rs. 3.5 lakhs have pushed the already collapsing old shelter to the brink of collapse.

Within the next month, the shelter will run out of funds, leaving us unable to provide essential food, veterinary care, vaccinations, and dog medication. Our vital sterilization project, which prevents the birth of over 1000 unwanted puppies annually and is critical in a rabies hotspot like Auroville, might have to be terminated as we cannot pay wages for our surgeon and staff.

It is now 2.5 years that we are waiting to build the new Auroville Dog Shelter - so far, NOTHING HAS HAPPENED, despite the shelter deteriorating day by day. 

Nobody at the AV Administration seems to care!

Auroville has been declared a rabies outbreak area with new cases every month - despite an Open Letter to the Auroville Foundation, no action has been taken. The shelter has run out of vaccinations and funds! We are unable to protect the AV Community, residents and hundreds of thousands of visitors!

PLEASE SIGN - Action has to be taken now! 

This is an emergency!

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The Auroville Dog Shelter, which has protected the city of Auroville and its surroundings since 2005, is now in crisis. (Again!)

 

Despite playing a crucial role in caring for the community’s stray dog population, vaccinating and sterilizing them, and preventing rabies outbreaks, the shelter is facing severe financial shortfalls due to a lack of adequate funding from the Auroville administration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During a recent rabies outbreak, the shelter, through sheer determination and one donor who provided urgent lifesaving funds, vaccinated over 1500 dogs and cats—an effort that saved countless lives and contained the spread of this deadly disease. However, despite its clear value to public health to keep residents and animals safe from this deadly disease, the shelter’s urgent calls for help were met with silence by the former Auroville administration. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shelter currently cares for over 300 rescue dogs but struggles to meet its monthly running costs of Rs 3.5 lakh (approximately 3,500 USD). The shelter receives only Rs 50,000 (500 USD) per month from the AV administration—an insufficient amount that has left it reliant on donations and fundraising. The situation has become unsustainable as often donations are not enough to cover even the basic needs of the shelter like food, medicines, sterilizations, and vaccinations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With new management in place since April 2023, the shelter has transformed from a place of suffering and neglect into a hub for animal care, recognized by Tamil Nadu’s Animal Husbandry Department and TNAWBI for its improvements and dedication to the well-being of animals. Among others, the Auroville Dog Shelter has formed many partnerships, among them with India’s largest animal care organization, “People for Animals,” and the “Mettupallayam Veterinary College” and serves as a training site for veterinary interns. However, without increased support, the shelter might not survive any longer and cannot evolve. Please help to raise awareness so that the new Auroville administration understands its responsibility towards the municipal dog shelter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We, the undersigned, demand that the Auroville Foundation provide the necessary financial support to the Auroville Dog Shelter. This is not only a call to Auroville as a spiritual city to show compassion towards animals but a necessary step to safeguard public health for the residents and hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors of Auroville. Specifically, we request that the shelter’s funding be increased to Rs 3.5 lakh per month to ensure its continued operation.

The Auroville Dog Shelter is not just an animal care facility—it is an essential public service that protects the community from the dangers of rabies and other zoonotic diseases. Without it, the safety of the city and its surrounding villages is at serious risk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Is How You Can Help:

1. Sign this petition and urge the incoming Auroville Administration to provide adequate support for the shelter.

2. Donate directly to the shelter! Please visit www.aurovilledogshelter.com to learn more about our shelter and donation possibilities. For donations from outside of India, please check with our friends at Auroville International

3. Share this petition to raise awareness and help to make a change! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This shelter is not just about dogs—it’s about the safety and spirit of the entire Auroville community. Let’s make sure that the values of compassion and care remain at the heart of Auroville.