A newspaper’s headlines could read, “Dog found injured by a speeding vehicle. People turn away their faces, leaving it to die!”
“Poor man with a deep wound, leg is full of maggots”.
“Poor kids begging on streets, clueless about their next meal”.
“Dog with maggot wound, being killed by people”.
“A tiny blind kitten trying to survive against odds”.
When there is hurt, pain and misery all over, it’s sure then that God’s soldiers come to the ‘Rescue’. The victims could be ill or ill-treated; it doesn’t matter as love soothes them all. God’s love unfolds in many ways. One such soldier of God, who brings forth his love to such and more miserable beings, is Christina Lobo Jha. She isn’t any acquaintance, friend or relative. She is a person, with a golden heart whom I came across on a social networking site. She doesn’t even wait for the call for help. On the other hand she goes out, to hunt for such creatures of God. She rightly seems to be ‘God-sent’.
Christina was born and brought up in Kuwait. But since her father is a Goan, the family used to come to India very often to spend time with her paternal grandparents. At her grandparents’ home there were dogs, cats, hens, pigs and goats, which she loved and with whom she played. Her empathy towards the less fortunate, was partly inborn and hugely from the environment in which she was born and brought up. Her father rescued hurt animals and gave food and water to desert animals. Her mother used to reach out to suffering women, trapped by people and forced into flesh trade. With such compassionate parents who had such sensitivity towards the innocent and victimized, it was then obvious that Christina would follow the same principles as them.
Her husband is also an animal lover and after marriage, the couple used to patrol the areas around them to search for injured or ill animals. Both shared the same feeling of empathy towards these unsheltered creatures.
She says, “In 2007 when I shifted to Mumbai, I got into it full time. In 3 years, with the help of IDA (In Defence of Animals), Mumbai and the support of my husband and other volunteers we managed to get 450 dogs sterilized in the area where I reside.”
In the past few years she has rescued roughly 600 animals; Dogs, cats, birds, cattle, the list is endless. She treats dogs with maggot wounds or any other injury on the spot as well. One very alarming case which she handled is a story of appalling cruelty. Three pups, wrapped in a plastic bag bound with barbed wire, were pulled out from a trash-filled ditch in the IIT campus at Powai two years ago. The pups, barely a month old, were badly infested with maggots. Two of them (females) died soon after their rescue. The third, a male, survived. Christina who coordinated the six-hour rescue operation to pull out the pups from the ditch said it was all due to someone’s inhuman act.
It is very strange that this woman, who is just like one of us, is so tremendously driven to do all this without any expectations of any returns in any form. As per her own admission, she just ‘does it’. She has rescued dogs tied to poles in a dirty, dingy room from ill-treating owners. She has saved a little kitten about to die, with fractured legs. She got it operated, kept it in her home till it was ready to face the world alone. She has got scores of kittens, cats and dogs adopted to loving homes. She isn’t a part of any NGO and works on her own. She is a ‘One woman army’.
Christina staunchly believes that if man has to have a dominion over the earth, he has to sustain and cohabitate with all of nature’s other creations. In the animal world an accepted fact is ‘The survival of the fittest’. But she desires ‘The survival of all’ and helps those that aren’t fit. She has adopted two pets, both who weren’t healthy at all when she got them home. The first Kelly (an epileptic dog) is a rescued dog from the clutches of her torturous owner and the second Marvel is a tomcat who was grievously ill with pneumonia as a kitten. She nursed both back to health and gave them a secure home. All the three, human, dog and cat support each another and coexist very well. They also welcome any other animal that needs fostering or a temporary shelter till it’s cured or adopted by a committed family.
In the area in which Christina lives, people do have respect for the kind of work she is doing. Kids get little puppies or kittens that they have rescued, to her for a temporary shelter or guidance. Due to her experience and ability, she is consulted by many people regarding issues on dogs and cats.
In one case, she rescued a man with a maggot infestation in his leg. He was sitting in a gutter and was very dirty. A chemist shop owner, who knew Christina, gave her a call informing her about this repulsive sight. She went to the police for help and managed to get him admitted. His leg had gangrene as well and had to be amputated. After the operation and other medical procedures, Christina put him for further treatment to replace, the lost leg with a false leg (transtibial prosthetic). She even gave him a job as a watchman in Pune.
Apart from all the rescue work, she does a lot of social work. She teaches poor underprivileged kids using innovative methods as they can’t afford schooling and puts a smile on their faces. She encourages downtrodden women to make and sell diyas and handicrafts creating a small scale industry for them.
One experience made Christina realize that many educated women also were subjected to cruel treatment by their own husbands. A few years ago, she heard a neighbor screaming into the night. She noticed that this woman was crying and screaming from 8 pm to 8 am, the time her husband used to be at home. It was evident that the woman was being beaten up night after night and none of the other neighbors felt like interfering. Christina took her dog Kelly and went up to that house and rang the bell. The man opened the door and told her that it was none of her business. But from that day the man was warned that he was being watched and could be taken to task for his wrong doings. For many, a stranger's intervention can be the first step in breaking the cycle of violence at home. All over the country, it has set a pattern to stop domestic violence. Coincidently a campaign was taken up by an advertising company named ‘Bell Bajao’. Women need not fear living in their own homes. It gave all spouses a wakeup call. Christina’s work didn’t now restrict her to only save animals and birds, it also made her feel for women who were victims of domestic violence. She started writing online to spread awareness and reached out to such women.
Her life is all about love for people and animals, whom she considers to be God’s children, who deserve to live life well. She deserves accolades for her selfless work of so many years. Sometimes it hurts as she can’t help all. Since she is only one and the cases are infinite. The world being ruthless, cases keep coming. The need of the hour is many more hands coming ahead to aid her in achieving a cruelty free world. She says “People have started noticing the work and many now offer to help. Phone calls have started pouring in from store owners, auto drivers and locals to help the injured animals when they spotted them. Mumbai over the years has opened up even more to the cause of stray animals, yet so many suffer. Even today, dogs are rescued from the clutches of horrible owners. Many burnt, tortured, starved and even raped. God is great and as we pray to the almighty, he will send more of his soldiers to assist the needy.”
It’s really a tough battle. But the good will keep coming to overcome the evil. Till this happens, the world has ‘Hope’ to become a better place to inhabit for all.
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