Tahira Animal Welfare Foundation (TAWF) is a registered animal welfare charity registered in both the United Kingdom and Pakistan. We have proudly established a cutting-edge animal shelter and rescue service in Faisalabad, Pakistan, where our devoted team focuses on rescuing and rehabilitating homeless, injured, and neglected animals. Our facility has advanced medical facilities, in-house veterinarians, caregivers, and rescuers who work tirelessly to provide the best care for these animals.

Our mission is to enrich the lives of injured, abused, and neglected animals by offering shelter and effectively managing the birth rate of street animals. Stray dogs in Pakistan endure incredibly harsh conditions, predominantly due to overpopulation, limited education, and an overall lack of empathy for animals.

Our most significant initiative is the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) program, which we have vigorously implemented since November 2020. The primary objectives of this program are to control the stray animal population and eradicate rabies, an endemic disease in Pakistan. Human infections are mainly attributed to dog bites, and cases are typically diagnosed based on clinical symptoms alone.

We strive to encourage coexistence within communities by promoting awareness and education. TAWF firmly believes that these are the essential steps towards fostering a more compassionate society that values and respects animals. Our continued efforts contribute to creating a better world for all living beings.

Below are the details of our major activities:

Animal Rescue:
Every month, we receive reports of hundreds of injured, abused, and neglected animals needing assistance. Many of these animals suffer abuse for no reason, often just for entertainment. In Pakistan, dogs are frequently poisoned or shot due to the widespread intolerance towards them. Each month, we manage to rescue more than two hundred animals.

TNVR:
We have been actively pursuing our TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) project since November 2020, with updates regularly published on our social media pages. The primary objectives are to control the population of homeless animals and eliminate rabies. Rabies is endemic in Pakistan, causing approximately 5,000 deaths annually. Our TNVR project aims to eradicate rabies and make the third-largest city in Pakistan rabies-free. During our mass vaccination drives, we vaccinate and tag stray dogs on the streets. Tagging helps us identify dogs for booster doses and eventually bring them to the shelter for TNVR.

Awareness:
The mistreatment of animals in Pakistan primarily stems from a lack of education and empathy for animals. Additionally, the absence of laws protecting animals from abuse and neglect exacerbates the situation. In a society where the concept of uncleanliness is associated with innocent animals like dogs, changing people’s attitudes towards stray animals can be challenging. Educating children from a young age allows them to form their own beliefs and challenge historically negative views. Our classroom awareness project is a pioneering initiative aimed at raising awareness among children in Pakistan. TAWF conducts awareness camps in private and public schools, distributing educational materials on animal rights and current instances of animal abuse in society. We also invite schools to visit the TAWF shelter, as firsthand interaction with animals is crucial for learning the basics of animal welfare.

Equine Welfare Project:
In addition to our work promoting animal welfare and combating rabies, we aim to end cruelty towards working animals. In Pakistan, equines are heavily exploited, working long hours and carrying large loads, often enduring harsh treatment. The socioeconomic class handling these animals is typically uneducated, underprivileged, and lacks an understanding of animal welfare. We employ various strategies to address this violence towards these creatures. To end cruel practices against equines, we organize awareness sessions within the community, engaging people in learning empathy. We provide these animals with free medication and care, as their owners often cannot afford standard veterinary care. We play a crucial role in implementing the concept of equine welfare by rescuing abandoned equines from dire conditions and treating them.