Mumbai: Zomato rider who transported dog to hospital praised and rewarded – Times of India

MUMBAI: Hasan Shaikh (32) was on duty as usual last week, delivering food parcels for the Zomato customers in various parts of the city, when he happened to see a dog in deep distress in Kurla. As the dog was visibly in pain and writhing on the road, Shaikh called up animal activist Vijay Mohanani of Bombay Animal Rights (BAR) to ask for an animal ambulance for the poor animal.
“Since an animal ambulance was not immediately available, I asked Hasan if he can arrange for a private car or an auto in order to take the dog to the animal hospital in Deonar. But, I was pleasantly surprised to know that this kind Zomato rider himself picked up the injured dog and gently put him inside one of his food delivery bags. He then drove his motorcycle straight to Deonar, where he reached the hospital within 20 minutes from Kurla. He did not even care that he was losing almost a day’s wages by going out of his way to help an animal,” said Mohanani.
BAR has now appreciated Shaikh’s compassion towards animals by rewarding him Rs 1,500 in order to compensate for the day’s loss.
When Zomato got to know why Shaikh had skipped a day’s work earlier, they gifted him a new helmet, a bag, and a mobile phone stand to appreciate his kind gesture.
When TOI contacted Shaikh, he said, “It feels nice to see people praising you for your efforts. However, I have been feeding and helping animals since childhood itself. When I saw the Kurla dog the other day, it seemed that either a vehicle or someone had hit him badly; so, I just could not carry on with my regular work after seeing this dog. Unfortunately, he could not make it after being admitted to the animal hospital; but at least I tried.”
“He (Shaikh) lives in Mahul, Chembur, and had taken up the job at Zomato six months ago to support his family. I first came in touch with him earlier this year when he had jumped inside a gutter to rescue a dog. He is an energetic animal welfare person, and therefore BAR has appreciated his efforts,” added Mohanani.
When asked for his comments on the current scenario wherein many animal feeders are being harassed by other local residents and animal haters, Shaikh said, “I feel that everyone in our society should live in harmony with a lot of ‘pyaar-mohabbat’ (love) for each other and also for the animals. If you give just one biscuit to a dog, he or she will become your friend for life. So, let us all live together with the animals.”