This month, Ratan Tata’s long-cherished dream of gifting Mumbai, a small animal hospital, was realised. Located in Mahalaxmi, the Tata Trusts Small Animal Hospital, is dedicated to the medical care and rehabilitation of street as well as domesticated dogs, cats, and birds.
Ratan Tata’s love for animals is well-known and inspirational. Visitors to Bombay House, the Tata headquarters in Mumbai, are greeted by the unusual sight of street dogs inside its hallowed portals. The legendary industrialist has, for many years, opened the doors of his heritage building for homeless dogs to take shelter in. There is an exclusive kennel made just for them. A corporate house with a heart of gold, indeed!
The idea of establishing a world-class hospital for animals occurred to Mr Tata, when he had to fly his pet dog all the way to the United States for medical treatment. Since the current healthcare infrastructure for animals has been found lacking, the services offered by this hospital will, to a great extent, address this need. The hospital, which is led by Dr Thomas Heathcote, a British veterinarian, has tied up with the Royal Veterinary College, London, for training. It will offer surgical (including orthopaedic), diagnostic and pharmacy services, and multidisciplinary care for small animals. It covers five storeys and can house 200 animals. There will also be a dedicated annexe for the sterilisation and treatment of street animals which will be run by an NGO, the Welfare of Stray Dogs.
“It is a personal dream of mine that Mumbai should have a state-of-the-art animal health centre…and I am delighted to see it finally come to life. It will be a resource for everyone who owns pets or comes across distressed animals, and it will save a limb, or a life, and help cure disease,” said Ratan Tata.
To book an appointment, please call or send a WhatsApp message on: +912231053105. For further info., please refer to the website: https://sahmumbai.com
(Contributed by Pervin Sanghvi, C4D Consultant, Environmentalist, Co-founder ‘Save Hanging Garden’ campaign)
