Jivdaya Charitable Trust

Jivdaya Charitable Trust is a not-for-profit animal-welfare organisation headquartered in central Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. Established in 2007 by Giraben Shah and Hasmukh Patel, the trust focuses on the treatment and rehabilitation of animals that lack access to veterinary care, especially stray and unowned domestic animals, injured birds, and small wild mammals. Its work combines clinical treatment, field response, rehabilitation, public-awareness activity and volunteer mobilisation rather than commercial products or retail services. The organisation operates a treatment and rehabilitation facility containing veterinary and avian-care infrastructure, including an avian surgery theatre, X-ray equipment, an autoclave, air-purification equipment, kennels and cages. It also operates a mobile treatment van for cases that can be handled outside the hospital and supports an animal ambulance and helpline in Ahmedabad through collaboration with the Emergency Management and Research Institute. Animals requiring care may be treated on site, transported for hospitalisation or released after recovery, depending on their condition. Jivdaya’s wildlife work is particularly visible during Ahmedabad’s Uttarayan kite-flying season, when birds can be injured or killed by kite strings. Through its Save The Birds campaign, the trust recruits veterinarians and volunteers, provides emergency surgery and rehabilitation, and promotes safer kite-flying practices. The organisation has also developed feather-implant treatment for birds with damaged flight feathers. Its broader animal-care work includes street-dog vaccination, emergency surgery and canine blood transfusion using appropriately matched donor dogs. The trust has received approval from the Gujarat Forest Department to treat scheduled wildlife and birds and is recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India. It is registered under the Bombay Charity Act, holds an 80-G tax-exemption certificate and maintains a foreign-currency registration account to facilitate donations from people living outside India. Alongside clinical work, Jivdaya promotes animal welfare and vegetarianism, conducts awareness programmes aimed in part at young people, hosts interns from the United Kingdom and United States, and brings Indian and international specialists to conduct training and workshops. During the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the closure of restaurants, offices and other food sources created an acute feeding problem for street animals. Jivdaya volunteers responded by distributing porridge, bread, milk and paneer to dogs and later to animals including cows and camels. The organisation therefore functions both as a veterinary-care provider and as a civic animal-rescue network. Its present public identity is built around free or charitable care, rehabilitation of injured wildlife, emergency intervention and community participation in Ahmedabad.

Jivdaya Charitable Trust was founded in Ahmedabad in 2007 by Giraben Shah and her father, Hasmukh Patel, together with two trustees and an initial staff of four employees. Its first facility was completed in 2008. The organisation was created to address the limited access to medical care faced by stray and unowned animals and to provide a dedicated rehabilitation service for injured wild birds and small mammals. From its early facility, Jivdaya developed a combined hospital, field-response and education model. The trust treated domestic animals without owners, sheltered sick and injured animals and established a rehabilitation centre for wildlife. Its equipment and facilities came to include an avian surgery theatre, X-ray machine, autoclave, air purifier, kennels and cages. A mobile treatment van enabled veterinarians to handle animals that did not require hospitalisation at the site where they were found. The organisation also supported an animal ambulance and helpline in Ahmedabad in association with the Emergency Management and Research Institute. Wildlife rehabilitation became one of Jivdaya’s most recognisable activities. Ahmedabad’s annual Uttarayan kite festival creates a recurring risk for birds, which may collide with kite strings or suffer severe injuries while flying. Jivdaya established the Save The Birds campaign to provide seasonal emergency treatment, recruit additional veterinarians and volunteers, and encourage safer public behaviour. The trust has invited veterinarians from India and other countries during the festival and has treated both common and endangered or migratory species. It also pioneered feather implants for birds whose flight feathers had been damaged or removed, allowing some birds to regain functional flight after treatment. The organisation expanded its public-health and preventive work through street-dog vaccination and rabies awareness. In 2017 it ran a citywide campaign to vaccinate dogs in multiple Ahmedabad districts, involving approximately 200 volunteers and 50 Jivdaya members. Its clinical work also included canine blood transfusion: when a dog needed blood, another dog with a compatible blood group could serve as donor. Jivdaya was described as the first Ahmedabad non-governmental organisation to implement this method successfully. Jivdaya’s work has included training and institutional partnerships as well as direct treatment. The trust is recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India, registered under the Bombay Charity Act and approved by the Forest Department to treat scheduled animals and birds. Its 80-G tax exemption and foreign-currency registration account support charitable fundraising, including donations from people abroad. Students from the United Kingdom and United States have undertaken internships at the hospital, while specialists from India and overseas have contributed treatment, workshops and staff training. Jivdaya veterinarians have also received first- and second-place recognition at the National Surgery Conference. The COVID-19 lockdown demonstrated the organisation’s role beyond hospital care. When restaurants closed and fewer office workers were present, many street dogs lost access to food scraps. Jivdaya volunteers initially fed roughly 350 to 400 dogs daily with items including porridge, bread, milk and paneer, later extending feeding support to other animals such as cows and camels. This response reinforced the trust’s identity as an emergency animal-welfare network rooted in Ahmedabad, combining free treatment, rehabilitation, prevention, public education and volunteer action.

• 2020

  Lockdown animal-feeding response

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  Volunteers began large-scale feeding of street dogs during the COVID-19 lockdown and later assisted additional animal species.

• 2018

  Feather-implant technique developed

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  Jivdaya pioneered the use of feather implants to help birds recover flight after feather damage.

• 2017

  Rabies campaign launched

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  The trust launched an Ahmedabad campaign to vaccinate street dogs and increase public awareness about rabies.

• 2016

  One Show Award reported

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  Jivdaya was reported to have received a One Show Award in New York.

• 2008

  First facility completed

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  The organisation completed its first treatment and rehabilitation facility for domestic animals and wildlife.

• 2007

  Trust founded

  [1]Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org

  Giraben Shah and Hasmukh Patel established Jivdaya Charitable Trust in Ahmedabad with two trustees and four employees.

A charitable, community-oriented animal-welfare and veterinary organisation combining hospital treatment, wildlife rehabilitation, mobile response and public education.

• Animal healthcare service

  Veterinary treatment

  Charitable veterinary care for stray and unowned domestic animals, including examination, emergency treatment and surgery where required. The service is delivered through the trust’s facility and, for suitable cases, through its mobile treatment operation.

• Wildlife rescue service

  Wildlife rehabilitation

  Rehabilitation for injured wild birds and small mammals, with particular expertise in avian emergency care. The organisation’s facility includes dedicated bird-surgery capability and caging for recovery before release or further care.

• Seasonal animal-rescue programme

  Save The Birds

  A seasonal Uttarayan programme responding to kite-string injuries and other festival-related bird casualties. It brings in veterinarians, volunteers, equipment and medicines, while educating the public about reducing risks to flying birds.

• Emergency animal service

  Mobile treatment and ambulance response

  Field-based care for animals that do not need hospitalisation, supported by a mobile treatment van and an animal ambulance and helpline arrangement in Ahmedabad.

• 2020Lockdown animal-feeding response

  Ahmedabad, India

  During the COVID-19 lockdown, volunteers distributed porridge, bread, milk and paneer after street animals lost access to food from restaurants and offices. The effort initially covered approximately 350 to 400 roadside dogs per day and later included cows and camels.

  Outcome. The programme provided emergency nutritional support during the disruption, although no complete beneficiary total is specified.

  Source
• 2017Ahmedabad street-dog rabies campaign

  Ahmedabad, India

  Jivdaya organised vaccination and awareness activity aimed at reducing rabies among Ahmedabad’s street-dog population. The campaign involved about 200 volunteers and 50 trust members and covered areas including Bopal, Motera, Naranpura, Nehrunagar, Relief Road and Nava Vadaj.

  Outcome. The campaign delivered vaccinations and public education across multiple city areas; a quantified long-term eradication outcome is not specified.

  Source
• Save The Birds

  Ahmedabad, India

  Jivdaya’s recurring Uttarayan initiative provides emergency treatment and rehabilitation for birds injured by kite strings and collisions. It recruits veterinarians from India and abroad, mobilises volunteers and advises kite flyers to avoid the riskiest early-morning period.

  Outcome. The campaign has treated thousands of birds across reported festival periods and has supported care for endangered and migratory species.

  Source

• 2018

  Adoption of feather implants for injured birdsOther

  Background

  Birds affected by kite strings or other trauma may lose feathers needed for flight and rehabilitation.

  Action taken

  Jivdaya pioneered feather implantation under anaesthesia to restore damaged flight feathers.

  Aftermath

  The technique became part of the trust’s avian-rehabilitation capabilities; broader outcome data is not specified.

  Source

• Development of canine blood-donation practiceOther

  Background

  A severely injured dog required blood after losing a substantial amount in an accident.

  Action taken

  The trust used a dog with a compatible blood group as donor and subsequently applied the approach in its animal-care work.

  Aftermath

  Jivdaya was reported as the first Ahmedabad non-governmental organisation to implement the technique successfully.

  Source

1. 1Jivdaya Charitable Trusten.wikipedia.org
2. 2Jivdaya Charitable Trust official websitejivdayatrust.org