December
1995
How
to be an Activist: Chitra Besbroda
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Because many of us are unsure whether we possess the
skills to be an activist, Satya will be letting activists in the worlds
of vegetarianism, environmentalism, and animal advocacy tell us how
they do it.
A native Sri Lankan Buddhist, Chitra Besbroda has been rescuing cats
and dogs in Harlem for over twenty years while also working in the health
care profession as a psychiatric and medical social worker, most recently
with emotionally disturbed children. She has been featured on radio
and television and in numerous magazines around the country and abroad.
Q: What skills do you need to be an activist?
A: You need intelligence, courage, and determination;
the ability to face failure and frustration without losing one’s
focus; and a certain blend of intellectual, psychological, and mental
capacities.
Q: What resources do you need to be an animal
rescuer?
A: The main resource is oneself: the desire to empathize
and help a living creature who cannot help him- or herself. The rest
are external resources: such as money, pet food, pet supplies, veterinary
care, and holding homes until the rescued animal is permanently placed.
Q: What should you do if you find an animal
on the street?
A: Using a kind, soft, gentle voice and some food,
try to get the animal. If you cannot bring the animal home, place him
or her with the Center for Animal Care and Control on a 48-hour hold.
Make sure that the animal’s tag has no PTS [Put to Sleep] on him
or her or else your animal might accidentally get killed during the
48-hour hold. At the end of the 48-hour period, which might give you
enough time to locate a home or holding home for the animal, you can
claim him or her. Make sure to stay and neuter all adult animals before
they leave your hands.
Q: So, how do you manage to keep going? How
do you have the courage to get up in the morning?
A: I can’t really account for it in a reasonable,
rational way because my life is fraught with danger each and every time
I set out to rescue an animal. I get frequent verbal abuse from the
errant pet owners and on three occasions I was physically attacked with
the potential for losing my life. But the gratifications are the quiet,
inner feeling that an animal’s suffering has ended by my action.
It is a feeling of such pure joy that the risks and hardships seem insignificant.
Q: What if people want to volunteer to help
you?
A: They can fill out an application, providing three
references, and be interviewed for the jobs that we have to be done.
We only accept and encourage serious and dedicated people who have the
ability to be steadfast to join the crusade to save animals’ lives.
Q: What would make your life a whole lot easier?
A: When I know that every animal is a loved and wanted
member of a family that will care for him or her until his or her natural
death. I would like to see tougher and stronger laws with wider applications
enforced with the greatest severity for animal abuses. Together with
this, I would like to see public education and consciousness-raising
of the people-animal connection in order to minimize animal exploitation
and enhance a harmonious bond between human and non-human animals.
To contribute, write to Sentient Creatures Inc., P.O. Box 765, Cathedral
Station, New York, NY 10025. Tel.: 212-865-5998 to volunteer.
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