24-YO Is On A Mission to Rescue Strays in Delhi: Your Help Can Give Them a Fighting Chance

In Class 6, when most children were worrying about homework, Naman Sharma was cradling an injured pigeon in his hands. He had found the bird unresponsive on the roadside and decided to bring it home. He tried to feed it and stayed up at night to check if it was breathing properly. The pigeon did not survive.

“I did not even know what I was doing,” he recalls. “But I knew I could not just walk away.”

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That loss did not deter him. It pushed him to learn more about animal rescue. Today, at 24, the Chemistry (Hons) graduate from DU’s Rajdhani College runs Aashiyana By Naman & Welfare Trust, a registered animal welfare trust based in New Delhi. 

From a schoolboy rescuing animals in his neighbourhood with his friend Krishna, he has grown into the founder of a shelter that now houses 200 animals and employs 12 paid staff, alongside a network of volunteers.

Building Aashiyana in Khera Khurd

The non-profit operates out of a rented property called Bobby Farms in Khera Khurd village near Rohini. 

The feeders begin their day at 6.30 am, and by 11 am, the shelter opens for visitors and clinic cases. Rescue calls start much earlier, and they do not stop.

“We attend anywhere between 10 and 20 rescue cases every day,” says Naman. “The calls come at all times. Sometimes it is midnight, and we still have to go.”

Their area of work spans mostly north-west Delhi and stretches into parts of western Uttar Pradesh that, according to Naman, are “underserved”.

Other than stray cats and dogs, surprisingly, many of the calls involve monkeys that suffer electrocution or accidents. Occasionally, they handle wildlife cases such as golden jackals or nilgai.

Their work focuses on four core areas: animal rescue, emergency medical care, shelter, and rehabilitation. 

The clinic that changed everything

Three months ago, the team set up an in-house clinic at a cost of approximately Rs 6 lakh. It can now perform spay and neuter surgeries, tumour removals, amputations, and treat parvovirus and COVID in small animals. 

Dr Vikas Jaiswal, the main veterinarian, serves the clinic assisted by two veterinary compounders.

Before this, the team had to ferry animals to private clinics across the city, often in a makeshift ambulance made from a cargo van donated by a well-wisher, or on scooters. 

“We were spending heavily on transport and outside treatment. The clinic has reduced that burden,” Naman explains.

But there is a gap that continues to strain their resources: the absence of an in-house animal CBC machine, or veterinary haematology analyser.

Why a CBC Machine Matters

A Complete Blood Count (CBC) test is fundamental to nearly every medical decision the shelter makes. Before sterilisation, tumour removal, or emergency surgery, vets must evaluate an animal’s haemoglobin levels, infection markers, and overall blood health. Without this information, treatment becomes a risk.

Yet Aashiyana cannot run these tests on-site. Instead, Naman and his team transport animals to external clinics, paying Rs 400 per test.

For a shelter handling 10–20 rescues a day, those expenses add up quickly. But the higher cost is time — especially when an injured or poisoned animal is fighting to survive.

“For almost every surgery, we have to take the animal out, get the blood test done, wait for the report, and then decide the next step,” Naman explains. “In emergency cases, that delay can be critical.”

When a dog is brought in after being hit by a vehicle, or a cat is rescued after suspected poisoning, minutes matter. Waiting for lab results outside the shelter can slow down crucial decisions — whether to operate immediately, stabilise first, or administer life-saving medication. An in-house CBC machine would allow the team to test blood within minutes, cutting out the uncertainty and enabling swift intervention.

If you would like to help Aashiyana raise Rs 3 lakh for an in-house CBC machine and reduce life-threatening delays, you can contribute to their fundraiser here. Every donation brings emergency care closer to animals who cannot wait.

The impact extends beyond emergencies. Sterilisation — central to Aashiyana’s mission of controlling the stray population and reducing long-term suffering — also requires pre-surgery blood work. Naman often shares a simple yet powerful example: “A female dog can have up to three litters a year, with five puppies each time. Over a decade, spaying one dog can prevent over 100 births. The same logic applies to cats.” Each of those procedures depends on safe medical clearance. Without an on-site CBC machine, even routine sterilisation is delayed.

An animal CBC machine costs around Rs 3 lakh. With it, the shelter could conduct immediate tests, reduce dependence on external labs, and act without hesitation in life-threatening situations. For a team that frequently relies on crowdfunding — and at times even debt — to cover salaries and surgeries, the savings would be meaningful. More importantly, the machine would give rescued animals something they often don’t have when they arrive at the shelter: a faster chance at survival.

Rescues that leave a mark

The animal rescue work is not without risk. During one rescue in Rohini Sector 27, a nilgai trapped in a shallow construction ditch kicked Naman so hard that he suffered a ribcage fracture. “You cannot blame the animal,” he says. “It was scared.”

In another case, they found a dog that had been poisoned and was barely moving its eyes. “We thought we would lose him,” Naman remembers. After three weeks of intensive care, the dog recovered fully.

Not all stories end happily. Two golden jackals were found injured on a highway; one did not survive, but the other was treated and released. 

There are also moments of unexpected trust. “We have to chase many animals who are naturally afraid and don’t know we are there to help,” he says. “But once, an injured dog just walked up and sat in our scooter. That surprised me.”

The emotional and logistical toll

“You cannot save every animal, and often you see cases deteriorate due to the lack of resources. All of this takes a toll, and it is hard to keep the spirits up. People are also unkind and think all NGOs get ample donations. I have seen cases where well-off people try to get their pets treated for free,” the 24-year-old says. 

Despite some hostilities, the non-profit trust relies largely on public contributions and crowdfunding. They are seeking CSR support to stabilise operations.

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Looking ahead

Being located in Khera Khurd means limited access to advanced veterinary facilities. Naman wants Aashiyana to become a reliable centre for the surrounding areas and eventually expand its outreach into western Uttar Pradesh, where awareness of and access to veterinary care are lower. 

“In remote areas, a dog can die even with an easily treatable problem,” he says. “Locals sometimes use non-scientific methods to treat wounds like phenyl, which worsens cases.” 

Their vision is steady growth: better equipment, a proper ambulance, and stronger preventive programmes. 

But the immediate need is clear. An animal CBC machine would cut recurring expenses and reduce delays in treatment.

From a boy grieving over a pigeon to a young man overseeing 200 lives, Naman has come a long way. 

From a boy who once stayed up all night beside an injured pigeon to a young man responsible for 200 lives, Naman’s journey has always been driven by one instinct — not to walk away. If you would like to help Aashiyana take its next step forward, you can support their CBC machine fundraiser here and be part of the lives they save next.

LINK TO FUNDRAISER HERE