Chamba Animal Care Center was honored to participate in Champions of Care, a gathering of animal welfare organizations from across India hosted at Vantara in Jamnagar, Gujarat. Our founder, Shri Phuntsog Wangial, joined fellow animal welfare leaders for the initiative, launched by Shri Anant Ambani to strengthen community animal care throughout India.
The gathering brought together more than 50 animal welfare organizations working on the front lines of rescue, treatment, sheltering and community animal care. Champions of Care aims to provide organizations with practical, sustainable support–including shelter infrastructure, ambulances, veterinary hospitals and diagnostic facilities, rescue equipment, and training–while building a stronger network among those working for animals across India.
For Chamba Animal Care Center, the visit was also an extraordinary opportunity to experience the scale of Vantara’s animal care work firsthand and to exchange ideas with others facing many of the same challenges in very different parts of the country. Our founder returned to Ladakh with new ideas, new connections, and renewed inspiration for the work ahead.
We are especially grateful to Shri Anant Ambani for taking the time to learn about Chamba Animal Care Center and the unique challenges of caring for animals in Ladakh. During their interaction, he expressed his intention to visit Ladakh and assured Chamba of Vantara’s support and assistance as we continue to develop the Center.
Chamba Animal Care Center operates in a uniquely challenging environment, providing sanctuary and care for hundreds of dogs and other animals at high altitude in Ladakh. As the Center continues to grow, so do the demands on our rescue capacity, veterinary care, infrastructure, sterilization and vaccination programs.
With Vantara’s guidance and support, we hope to develop a comprehensive Vision Document outlining Chamba’s short- and long-term goals: creating a roadmap for stronger rescue operations, improved medical facilities, expanded sterilization and vaccination programs, and sustainable infrastructure capable of serving Ladakh’s animals for many years to come.
On behalf of His Eminence Kyabje Thiksey Rinpoche, Padma Shri awardee and Chairman of Chamba Animal Welfare Society, Leh, along with our members, staff, and volunteers, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Shri Anant Ambani and the entire Vantara team for their hospitality, encouragement and recognition of Chamba’s work.
Perhaps most importantly, Champions of Care reminded us that although animal welfare organizations may work thousands of kilometers apart–from the deserts of Gujarat to the mountains of Ladakh–we are confronting many of the same problems and working toward the same goal.
We returned home with new knowledge, new relationships and an even stronger commitment to the animals of Ladakh.
From Ladakh to Vantara–and back to Ladakh with a bigger vision for what Chamba Animal Care Center can become.
