Animal instinct

An MBA by education, a realtor by profession and an animal rescuer at heart, Mangaluru-based Tauseef Ahmed is all of this and much more. As founder and rescuer for a non-profit organisation – Mr Rescuer – Tauseef has been able to give beleaguered animals a second lease of life. His quick thinking and sheer will to save them, has managed to rehabilitate hundreds of creatures such as snakes, dogs, cats, etc.

Born in a scenic locale like Kudremukh, which is surrounded by wildlife reserves and forests, Tauseef laughs that he probably interacted with wildlife more than with humans in his formative years. He shares, “We had elephants, wild boars and snakes visiting home quite often.

That bonding with them was there since the beginning. It became an intrinsic part of my life.” When he moved to Mangaluru for studies, things became a little difficult, he recalls. “Moving here, there were so many terrible things happening to animals around me that I didn’t know how to deal with it. I got in touch with people working with animals and that’s how the animal rescue journey in Mangaluru began.” Tauseef admits that he is more comfortable with animals as compared to humans. “I trust them more. Working with them, it creates a positive energy that gives you the will power to fight back. It has made me compassionate and created a bubble of energy,” shares the man who is also trying to build a bridge across the animal-human conflict.

To make time for this rescue work, he never took up a nine-to-five job. The dedicated soul says, “When I was working, animal rescue was a more on-and-off thing. But since 2011, I have been doing it full time.” Tauseef shares how he gets information about injured animals, “After a few years of doing this, I have managed to develop a good network. Social media helps with the rescue too.” This recipient of the Best Street Care and Rescue award explains what happens after he reaches these animals, “Since 80 percent of my cases require on-site treatment, I don’t really have to shift them. The rest of the animals are shifted to Animal Care Trust centres. After treatment, they are released.” Tauseef, who completed his MBA from SDM College of Business Management, Mangaluru, has, so far, rescued snakes, domestic animals like dogs and cats, bulls, cows, kites, eagles, tropical birds, monitor lizards, etc.

He will be speaking at the TedX that will happen in September, and he also has another project under process. “This project will be released in a week or two. I am creating artificial nesting spaces for sparrows using PVC pipes. I will be giving out over 100 of these nests for people to place outside their homes,” says Tauseef, concerning himself with a very different sort of twitterati than most others of his age!