Sunday 16 / March / 2025
Muscat: Residents and citizens based in Oman are working hand-in-hand for the welfare of abandoned and stray animals in the country by carrying out rescue operations and providing them shelter.
Speaking exclusively to the Times of Oman, Varsha Karnik, co-founder of Omani Paws, said, “We, along with our team of volunteers, rescued more than 350 animals in 2018, which include both stray and domestic animals. Luckily, we managed to provide shelter to most of them in Oman and abroad.”
Omani Paws is an animal welfare organisation operating in Muscat with volunteers that include both locals and expats in the country.
The organisation works on the TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) of cats and dogs, looks at the foster and rehoming of animals at risk, and to raise awareness about animals by encouraging adults and children to interact with them.
The co-founder, who has been associated with the organisation for the last five years, said that the number of rescue operations has constantly been on the rise in almost all parts of the country.
“There were days when we received calls from outside Muscat and had to contact volunteers to take care of the situation. However, this is not going to work in the long run unless the matter is taken into consideration by the respected authorities.
“Many a times, we have brought in pets from people who bought them from shops at a minimal cost. Once the pets grow big, the owner either releases them on the streets or uses them as breeding machines. There were also instances where people who were going on a holiday, moving houses or even leaving the country left a pet behind to fend for himself/herself, or deliberately dumped him/her by the roadside or in the bushes,” Karnik said.
An Omani, Malik Al Bahlani, who has been actively working with the rescue operation, said the situation is getting out of hand and something should be done about the horrific situation these animals are facing.
“Imagine being dumped in a deserted place or at the corner of a street by your loved ones with no food, water, shelter or family. How would you survive? Unfortunately, this is the scenario that is all too familiar among rescued animals.”
“Also, it happens because people keep breeding more pets for profit, and ignorant people reward them for this by paying them for these pets – instead of adopting. There are also those who abandon pets when they become an inconvenience. It is high time we tackle the situation legally, and we at Omani Paws, have already started working towards it,” Al Bahlani said.
Another volunteer who has been a member of the organisation since 2015 has rescued two stray and three domestic cats, and a dog in a span of three years that are all currently living with her and a friend.
“People who are unable to take care of their pets and release them into the wild may think they are doing the right thing, but if you release them into the wild, they are most likely going to die, and it is probably not going to be a very pleasant death.”
“These are animals who had a home and lost it, and over the years I have tried to understand why people abandon their animal companions and I came to an understanding that they often do not plan for how they would continue to look after the pet in the future in case of certain events, such as moving from one country to the other. That’s how I ended up adding three cats and a dog to the already existing injured and abandoned cat I found on the street,” said a Pakistani expat based in Muscat.
She added that she is hopeful that the vigilant authorities of Oman will come up with a solution to the growing concern regarding animal welfare very soon.
