Expressnews
Chennai: MARS Petcare, the world’s leading pet food company, hosted various animal welfare stakeholders, such as government, academia, NGO representatives and individual activists, for the third Mars Petcare Thought Leadership Seminar on May 6, 2022, at The Park Hotel in Chennai. The seminar brought alive the need to design better cities for pets and create a wanted, welcome and cared for environment for both stray and owned pets. There was discussion on One Health – the need for an equitable balance between nature, animals, and humans. It is a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach working at the local, regional, national, and global levels to achieve optimal health outcomes by recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
Dr Manish Narnaware, Deputy Commissioner, Greater Chennai Corporation, was the Chief Guest for the Mars Petcare Thought Leadership Seminar.
Among the panelists were Dr Chinny Krishna – Head of Blue Cross of India, Chennai; Dr Jay Prakash, Secretary, Pet Practitioners Association, Chennai; Dr Rubina Mondal – Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Kolkata; Dr P Tensingh Gnanaraj, Registrar, Tanuvas; Dr Kamal Hussain, Chief Vet Officer, Chennai Municipal Corporation, Department of Animal Husbandry, Chennai; Dr Jayanti, IAS (Retd), animal shelter/adoption activist; Dr Shiranee Pereira, People For Animals, shelter at Redhills, Chennai; Dawn William, GM (Rescues), Blue Cross of India; Dr NV Sreekanth Babu, Chairman, Animal Careland, Tirupati; Dr Arun Vaikuntavasan, Managing Director and Chief Consultant, SKS Veterinary Hospital; and Dr Venkatesh J, Founder & Managing Director, Auro Multispecialty Pet Hospital.
The first panel discussion in Hyderabad in the month of June 2021 was about the state of animal welfare with a focus on strays and steps taken by the government and NGOs. The second seminar, held in in Bengaluru in the month of October 2021, was about the challenges in creating better cities for pets and their registration.
Nitin Jain, Sales Director of MARS Petcare India, said: “MARS Petcare is driven by its purpose of creating a better world for pets. We believe that tomorrow depends on how companies do business today. We have undertaken several initiatives – such as adoption drives, pet health camps, dog and cat shows, and stray feeding activities along with the first-ever State of Pet Homeless Index – to better the lives of pets. The Thought Leadership Series is one such initiative to create conversations and look at opportunities for Public Private Partnership to determine the actions needed to address the plight of our voiceless companions.”
Dr. Narnaware, Deputy Commissioner, Chennai Municipal Corporation, added:“The issues of animals go unheard most times. Initiatives like this will create awareness and conversations to improve their condition not just in Chennai but across India. We thank MARS Petcare for taking the lead for initiatives that will improve the lives of pets and stray animals by bringing all stakeholders together.”
Dr Chinny Krishna, of the Blue Cross, added: “MARS Petcare has been succeeding with the various initiatives and conversations they have been driving. This Thought Leadership Seminar is a great example of creating conversations and awareness to address the concerns regarding homeless animals. I am delighted to be part of the initiative, a driving force for creating a better place for our furry companions.”
