Erika Abrams Animal Aid Unlimited
Erika Abrams—co-founder and president of Animal Aid Unlimited, a rescue operation, hospital, and sanctuary in Udaipur, India—recalls the circumstances under which she, her husband, Jim, and daughter, Claire, began traveling to India in the late 1980s. While noting she wasn’t (and still isn’t) well-traveled, and that her initial interest in the country was rooted in superficial facets, she fell instantly, and hard, for India. Living at the time in Seattle, Abrams recounts how the family continued to make trips to India, then spurred, in part, by her daughter’s growing antipathy to the traveling, decided to move to Udaipur. They were bothered by the large number of injured and ill animals on the street, and that there was no veterinary hospital or other care available for them, Abrams explains. Despite no background in animal rescue or other sorts of animal organizations—but, she says, she and Jim did have considerable experience in fundraising, strategic planning, and various kinds of other work for nonprofits—they launched Animal Aid Unlimited in 2002. Undeterred by the lack of experience in the animal realm, they forged ahead, figuring things out along the way, hiring veterinarians when they could, seeking guidance from whatever experts they could speak with, and so on. In the initial years, Abrams observed, one notable obstacle was that the area lacked cell phones and landlines—so Animal Aid Unlimited might be contacted three times per week for animal rescue help; in 2005, cell phones were introduced, and changed everything: Abrams says they might receive 60 calls a
For assistance, explaining that the chief recurring issues prompting phone calls to the hospital are car accidents, the impact of a poor diet &/or consuming plastic products, and lack of medical treatment. There was also some discussion of Animal Aid Unlimited’s healing, often-transformative impact on staff and volunteers, including travelers who visit Udaipur and are invited to volunteer at the organization’s facilities. Animal Aid Unlimited is funded largely through donations. (https://animalaidunlimited.org, https://www.facebook.com/AnimalAidUnlimited)
ALSO: I spoke with our “greyhound correspondent, ” Don Goldstein, who updated us on where things stand with Prop 67, the constitutional amendment that
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Spell the end of greyhound racing in Florida. He noted that until about April 16, there’s still an important, open window to express support to the Commissioners, via email or phone call (http://www.flcrc.gov/Commissioners) for this amendment.We have a dog who had to have both her eyes removed. From a great distance, me being entirely quiet, beautiful Moti starts wagging her tail. This is Paradise. If I could design what happens in the 'afterlife, ' it would look exactly like the present life.
Ihad talked about organized charity work for a long time—even decades—but with no clear purpose, only an abstract intellectual fascination with people who lead 'selfless' lives.
I know well how to tie a saree now, and I have many, and wear them comfortably.Probably some western tourists think it’s presumptuous, but after 20 years here, and ten of them full-on, saree-wearing years, I don’t care what they think.
Erika Abrams, Animal Aid Unlimited, Author At One Green Planet
Don’t feel you need to start big or write an elaborate blue-print for what you want to do in the future. You probably will not know at the beginning how it’s going to morph and take shape. Relax and enjoy that mystery unfolding.
Seattle native Erika Abrams moved to India with her husband, Jim, and daughter, Claire, nearly 20 years ago, after traveling to the Subcontinent and falling in love with the land and its people. Opening a veterinary hospital, shelter, and sanctuary for abused, injured, and neglected animals wasn't a lifelong dream, but Animal Aid Unlimited has has become Erika's life pursuit and passion. Here, she gives us a glimpse into her wonderful world in the Rajasthan desert, where she and her family are revered fixtures in the community and a godsend for animals in need.
Living with 400 animals in a caring, beautiful setting is beyond “a dream come true.” Every morning I wake up excited about the adventure waiting for me in the day to come. Many of the animals live here permanently, so truly, “my cup runneth over” with love in every direction I turn. I am bathed in a warm sea of their joy at seeing me or, in the case of blind dogs, just their memorized knowledge of my footsteps. We have a dog who had to have both her eyes removed. From a great distance, me being entirely quiet, beautiful Moti starts wagging her tail. This is Paradise. If I could design what happens in the “afterlife” it would look exactly like the presentlife.
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I think this is interesting—no it was not a lifetime dream. I was a fearful, unimaginative person all my life when it comes to animal protection. I actually can remember being in my 20s on a road trip with a friend who insisted on stopping when we found a stray dog with a broken leg, searching out a vet and taking the dog to it, and my resenting the “intrusion!” It makes me gasp to admit that now, but I tell it to illustrate: people can change. I was in my 40s when the idea of serious animal help took shape. I had previous been selective about the animals I loved. I lacked the courage to look into the lives of suffering animals. I thought I was too sensitive, too delicate. Something made me realize that these were excuses. In fact I was not sensitive enough, not delicate enough, not compassionate enough to look at suffering. When I began to have the courage—ignited in me by the insistence of my daughter Claire, at age 7, upon seeing a wounded puppy in the road—to physically help injured animals, I realized almost overnight that I had been blind. It was a dramatic revolution in my soul, not something which I nurtured over years and years. I had talked about organized charity work for a long time—even decades—but with no clear purpose, only an abstract intellectual fascination with people who lead “selfless” lives. When the inspiration hit me, it never felt in the slightest “selfless.” Rather it felt like the only fulfillment of self that made any sense, was suddenly service to animals. It struck like an enormous gong—and I almost immediately began taking the steps to realize the dream in an incremental way, starting by searching for other kindred spirits in this region who cared about animals. I thought I could piggyback on their work, but found that in Udaipur no work had taken place. There was only empty space and opportunity, and thankfully my husband was incredibly excited about it as soon as he realized we’d have no shortage of suffering animals and that the people who came to learn about our willingness to help them stepped right up and started contacting us.
I get up at about 6 am and have emergency coffee right away. I drink it outside under trees and try not to use the computer for 40 minutes or so. Sometimes I water the plants or just sit staring at them. Then I often hit the emails and start planning out the day with Claire and Jim and Neha. From 9 to 12 I go into the Animal Aid hospital and start my personal rounds. It starts with a debriefing from the manager about what staff are here, where they may be gaps. I tend not to survey the new patients but concentrate my focus on the animals who live in permanent sanctuary. Claire usually debriefs with the vet staff who assess new admissions and enters in where any tricky cases emerge. I too do this occasionally but use my time to make sure that the animals who live with us permanently are getting everything they need. We have staff assigned just for them too, mind you. I have a love relationship with 100 animals. I have to rotate my attention so that most of them get quality “me” every few days at least. If I don’t get to intermingle with them I feel lost.
I am prone to stress. Writing helps me. I love to write and I actually love to write thank you letters to people who have reached out either with a donation or a good wish. Fortunately I write really fast; the connection between my brain and my typing fingers is so locked in, so integrated, that I literally do not have to stop and “think” about what I’m going to say, the hookup between the thoughts themselves and the movement of my fingers is automatic. This is not owing merely to good luck; I have been writing either longhand or typing for at least 4 hours a day for the past 45 years. As with anything, practice helps. I also love to clean the house and to make little things with my hands—I make glass bead bracelets and necklaces which I sell online. I find it for me a great de-stressor to make pretty things.
Volunteering At Animal Aid Unlimited
What is your approach to staying healthy? I am extremely healthy. I almost never get ill, hardly ever injured. I
I think this is interesting—no it was not a lifetime dream. I was a fearful, unimaginative person all my life when it comes to animal protection. I actually can remember being in my 20s on a road trip with a friend who insisted on stopping when we found a stray dog with a broken leg, searching out a vet and taking the dog to it, and my resenting the “intrusion!” It makes me gasp to admit that now, but I tell it to illustrate: people can change. I was in my 40s when the idea of serious animal help took shape. I had previous been selective about the animals I loved. I lacked the courage to look into the lives of suffering animals. I thought I was too sensitive, too delicate. Something made me realize that these were excuses. In fact I was not sensitive enough, not delicate enough, not compassionate enough to look at suffering. When I began to have the courage—ignited in me by the insistence of my daughter Claire, at age 7, upon seeing a wounded puppy in the road—to physically help injured animals, I realized almost overnight that I had been blind. It was a dramatic revolution in my soul, not something which I nurtured over years and years. I had talked about organized charity work for a long time—even decades—but with no clear purpose, only an abstract intellectual fascination with people who lead “selfless” lives. When the inspiration hit me, it never felt in the slightest “selfless.” Rather it felt like the only fulfillment of self that made any sense, was suddenly service to animals. It struck like an enormous gong—and I almost immediately began taking the steps to realize the dream in an incremental way, starting by searching for other kindred spirits in this region who cared about animals. I thought I could piggyback on their work, but found that in Udaipur no work had taken place. There was only empty space and opportunity, and thankfully my husband was incredibly excited about it as soon as he realized we’d have no shortage of suffering animals and that the people who came to learn about our willingness to help them stepped right up and started contacting us.
I get up at about 6 am and have emergency coffee right away. I drink it outside under trees and try not to use the computer for 40 minutes or so. Sometimes I water the plants or just sit staring at them. Then I often hit the emails and start planning out the day with Claire and Jim and Neha. From 9 to 12 I go into the Animal Aid hospital and start my personal rounds. It starts with a debriefing from the manager about what staff are here, where they may be gaps. I tend not to survey the new patients but concentrate my focus on the animals who live in permanent sanctuary. Claire usually debriefs with the vet staff who assess new admissions and enters in where any tricky cases emerge. I too do this occasionally but use my time to make sure that the animals who live with us permanently are getting everything they need. We have staff assigned just for them too, mind you. I have a love relationship with 100 animals. I have to rotate my attention so that most of them get quality “me” every few days at least. If I don’t get to intermingle with them I feel lost.
I am prone to stress. Writing helps me. I love to write and I actually love to write thank you letters to people who have reached out either with a donation or a good wish. Fortunately I write really fast; the connection between my brain and my typing fingers is so locked in, so integrated, that I literally do not have to stop and “think” about what I’m going to say, the hookup between the thoughts themselves and the movement of my fingers is automatic. This is not owing merely to good luck; I have been writing either longhand or typing for at least 4 hours a day for the past 45 years. As with anything, practice helps. I also love to clean the house and to make little things with my hands—I make glass bead bracelets and necklaces which I sell online. I find it for me a great de-stressor to make pretty things.
Volunteering At Animal Aid Unlimited
What is your approach to staying healthy? I am extremely healthy. I almost never get ill, hardly ever injured. I
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