Star Street Teamer: Rina Dev
With her love for animals and her dedication to helping others, it’s easy to see why we think Rina Dev is a star.
Name: Rina Dev
Age: 23
Hometown: Mumbai, India
Q: Tell us something about yourself.
A: I am studying to be a veterinarian at Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine in Jaipur. Besides that, I have always been involved in sports. I used to represent Andheri YMCA. I have played state-level matches for basketball. I am into nature, wildlife, trekking and bird watching.
Q: What are your goals?
A: My ultimate goal is to reach out and help as many animals as I can. When I am a veterinarian, I’ll be able to reach out to even more animals. Ultimately, I want to start a rescue centre of my own that would be for wild animals. There are people helping stray animals, but I feel that people know very little about wildlife – and especially not about urban wildlife – so that’s something I really want to get into.
Q: Tell us why you are a vegetarian. Have you always been? If not, what made you decide to go vegetarian?
A: No, I have not always been vegetarian, because I come from a family where all our meals – starting from breakfast to lunch to dinner – all involved meat, meat and only meat! So at first it was difficult for me because I grew up eating meat and thought it was tasty. At the same time, I was involved in activities to help animals and knew that at some point I had to change what I was doing because on one side, I was saving an animal’s life, and on the other, I was taking animals’ lives by eating them! I realised that this did not make a lot of sense and gave up meat.
Q: How long have you been helping animals?
A: Actually, I have been helping animals ever since I could walk! When I was a kid, I would nurse injured birds at my home until they flew out. But it all really began in 10th standard. I replied to an ad in the paper asking for volunteers to help in animal protection work. That’s when I got in touch with certain people and started helping them in their cruelty-to-animals cases and investigations. Later on, I got in touch with Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD). With them, every Sunday, I would go around treating stray dogs. I ended up doing this daily on a full-time basis. So that’s how I went from treating birds to helping larger animals.
Q: You’ve done a lot of rescues. Tell us about them.
A: Once, as part of the PETA team, we rescued an elephant who had been hit by a bus! She was hurt very badly and had a fractured leg, so she could no longer walk. I spent the whole day with her ’til she was sent to the animal hospital for treatment. We had to arrange for a truck and crane to gently lift her. It was difficult because of her size but a great rescue. It was also the first time I helped such a big animal.
Another amazing rescue was when PETA got a call from a place where a lot of sewage water had seeped into a well. Huge catfish and turtles were trapped there and dying because the water was so dirty and toxic. We got in touch with the Bombay Municipal Corporation and fire department, but they did not help us. So finally, we hired a generator van and a pump and pumped out all the water from the well. Then we went into the well ourselves with baskets on long rods to scoop out the animals. We managed to save huge catfish who were 2 feet long and eight to 10 turtles, but they were covered with grease! So I and the other volunteers cleaned them carefully and then released them in a better place. The good news is they got out of a crappy well for good!
Q. How did you go about confiscating the animals you have rescued?
A: I take the help of police officers when necessary, especially for wild, protected species. Otherwise, it’s just by knowing the laws and being very authoritative. You know, I can scare the shit out of people who hurt animals just by knowing what I’m talking about, like knowing when someone is keeping animals illegally. Indigenous wild species are protected by law and cannot be confined and kept as pets. Of course, I would never scare people otherwise. I also take the help of other volunteers and activists.
Q: How long have you been volunteering for PETA?
A: I started helping animals a long time ago, but my association with PETA India started in 2002. Through PETA, I have been able to do many rescues and help many animals.
Q: Tell us something about the demonstrations you have participated in.
A: I have always participated in demonstrations because I believe in them. I have been in demos promoting vegetarianism, protesting animal experimentation and promoting soya milk instead of animal milk. On Valentine’s Day, we did a demo where we had big hearts that read, “Have a Heart – Go Veg”. The experience was great because you are out there telling the world about something you believe in.
Q: What message do you have for petaDishoom Street Teamers?
A: We should all stand up for animals because they cannot speak up for themselves. If you see an animal in distress, suffering or abused, you must speak up.
