Tiruvarur (Tamil Nadu): At a time when materialism is catching up with the world, a 52-year-old man from Tiruvarur in Tamil Nadu gave up his lucrative career as a software engineer to work for abandoned and stray animals.
Gopala Krishnan turned his ancestral home back in his village into an animal shelter which houses over 60 goats, 20 stray dogs and more than 25 cats.
It was around five years ago when Krishnan was working at Madurai at an IT company when he rescued a stray dog which was lying on the national highway in an injured condition. He brought the dog home and ended up adopting him. This rescue was followed by several similar rescues and he eventually decided to move to his native village to accommodate the rescued animals.
"I have been working with these animals for the past ten years. I did my masters in computer application and have worked as a software engineer in both Bengaluru and Madurai. Even during my stay in these two cities, I used to attend to injured animals and take care of them by seeking help from the respective department of animal husbandry, " Krishnan told ETV Bharat.
He further said, "At one point, I decided to quit my well-paying job to dedicate my life to these animals. I moved to my native village and, there too, I observed a lot of animal abuse. But with the help of a few like-minded villagers, I managed to save a lot of animals."
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Krishnan not only provides these animals with a place to stay but makes sure that they are provided with mattresses made of gunny bags and cots to sleep on, apart from a hearty meal.
Krishnan has been actively working towards averting animal sacrifices in his village, hunting practices, apart from suing those caught ill-treating animals, and has earned some antagonists along the way.
Once happily married, Krishnan now stands divorced as his wife couldn't adjust with his way 'unique' way of life.
With Krishnan not earning a penny since he took up the noble task of rescuing animals and not receiving any monetary support apart from the one he receives from his brother, he is struggling to sustain the shelter.
"It will be of great help if the government provides him with some land and aids him to set up an animal welfare trust. Other animal lovers like him can be roped in at village level to form local welfare boards, " said Sakthivel, Krishnan's brother.
