Hyderabad (Telangana): Gundluri Chaitanya from Peeleru in Chittoor district completed his MBA in Chennai and settled in Hyderabad. He founded a company called 'Biz Innings' and is an avid animal lover. In spite of his busy schedule, he does not forget to feed the animals during weekends along with his friends.
While studying in Tirupati, a tragic incident took place in which one of his friends riding a two-wheeler, in a bid to avoid hitting a dog that ventured out onto the road, lost control of his scooter and rammed into a road divider and was killed on the spot.
As such incidents often happen, Chaitanya made up his mind to do something to stop them.
After working for a while, he founded his own company. He sets a part of his profits aside for the cause of animals and preventing accidents through a charity foundation called 'Planet Guardians'. Under this initiative, food and fresh water were provided to thousands of dogs during the Covid lockdown. Many road accidents in India are caused when dogs, cows and buffaloes venture out on the roads. He realized that if stray animals are spotted well in advance, it is possible to avoid accidents.
Chaitanya created a tag, with the words 'Collar Up' embossed on it in fluorescent material which could be put around the neck of stray animals to alert motorists. The 'Collar Up' initiative has now spread to other cities with the help of volunteers.
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Chaitanya said animals wearing the 'Collar Up' tag can be seen from a distance of 200 meters. When the vehicle headlights fall on the fluorescent material the 'Collar Up' tag glows thereby alerting the vehicle drivers. Originally launched in Hyderabad, the initiative has now spread to 36 towns and cities including Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi.
Hundreds of animal lovers have come forward by setting up WhatsApp and Facebook groups to promote the idea. So far, these tags have been put up on 2,500 dogs and more than 80 cattle. According to Chaitanya, around 17 models were tried before choosing the final one. The 'Collar Up' tag is smooth and comfortable and dries fast when drenched in water.
He explained, the goal was not only to protect people from road accidents but also the animals. He said that dogs and cattle stray on to the road suddenly either while crossing or when they tussle with each other. With the help of 'Collar Up,' these stray animals can be spotted well in advance to avoid accidents.
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The 'Collar Up' Foundation has volunteers from various disciplines -- medical students, veterinarians, students and animal lovers. Participants in the program are first trained on how to tame dogs and cows and how to tag them. Not only does this tag prevent accidents, but it also indirectly motivates employment for rural women.
The making of tags is done by rural women instead of corporate entities. In this way, they are financially supported. The initiative has received good response from the government and many celebrities have appreciated it. Chaitanya believes the program can be expanded with financial support.
Volunteers said that they have seen the activities of this organization on social media and have come forward to do their part to help in spite of their busy work schedule because they are impressed by the services of Chaitanya in preventing accidents.
