Meet Telangana's Pradeep Yarra, who is trying to make India rabies-free by 2030

Mahatma Gandhi once said, 'The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.' We wonder what the Father of the Nation would think when he learns about how animals are treated in this country. Just to give you an example, in June this year, four officials were suspended for ordering the culling of 78 dogs in Siddipet, Telangana. Yet, all hope is not lost. There are a few warriors who are ensuring that these creatures get the respect they deserve. Pradeep Yarra is one of them. “When I was a child, I came across an uncared-for dog, who had just birthed puppies. I started giving them water and then milk. And that’s how it started,” describes Pradeep. He also credits Panneru Teja and Pridhvi Panneeru, his friends, for motivating him.

Pradeep worked in the corporate world for seven years before quitting 

Fresh from the success of their first-ever awareness session at Brilliant Grammar High School, Narayanguda, the group Rabies Free India by 2030 is more hopeful than ever of achieving their eponymous mission. And for a first, the talk went on quite well, informs Pradeep Yarra, who is at the helm of things. "It was interactive and students had many questions which I was more than happy to answer," he shares. The 32-year-old spoke about how one should behave with street dogs, how can one avoid dog bites, wound management in case of a dog bite and so much more. The agenda, obviously, is to reach out to more and more educational institutions with this information. 

In my childhood, I used to feed dogs and birds. As I grew up, several friends in the field encouraged me to take up animal welfare

Pradeep Yarra, Animal rescuer (Pic: Pradeep Yarra)

Pradeep quit his job last year to dedicate himself completely to the cause of animal rescue and rabies awareness. Not only did he and his team initiate Rabies Free India by 2030, Pradeep, who was born in Nuzvid, Andhra Pradesh, is also behind starting the Hyderabad Animal Directory by taking inspiration from the Mumbai Animal Directory, which has become hugely popular. He intended this portal to be a one-stop-shop for veterinary doctors, ambulances, helpline numbers and animal clinics in Hyderabad. "I keep it up-to-date and even post relevant content like tips, welfare activities and adoption notices," says Pradeep, who pursued ECE from Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajahmundry. It was started about eight months ago and continues to run actively.

Shaken by the Save

Eluru: When a dog was poisoned in Eluru, Andhra Pradesh, the police officer was not aware of the laws and asked them to report the case to the Forest Department. They helped educate them and took the case forward

Hyderabad: Recently, they found an abandoned dog with a shoelace tied around his neck and infected with maggots. No auto driver helped them with transport due to the foul smell, but they managed to get him to a local shelter

For more on the directory, check out facebook.com/HyderabadAnimalDirectory