2025 Year-End Report
Impact Report · 2020–2025
SAFI 2025 Report: Five Years of Rescuing, Healing and Protecting India's Street Animals
In 2025 the Stray Animal Foundation of India (SAFI) turned five. This report covers our 2024 results, the 2025 clinic expansion in Hyderabad, our legal work against animal cruelty in Telangana, international adoptions, and what we need in 2026.
Donate to SAFI See our 2026 wishlist
Milestone
SAFI Turns 5: Five Years of Compassion and Impact
In May 2025, SAFI celebrated five years of rescuing, healing and standing up for animals who had no one else. What began in a small home in April 2020 with a few foster dogs has become a sanctuary for hundreds of animals and a clinic for thousands.
This was made possible by a 100% volunteer board, donors around the world and a dedicated team in Hyderabad. Every dollar, pound or euro goes further in India.
SAFI's first five years by the numbers (2020–2025)
- 10,000animal lives touched
- 8,056veterinary examinations
- 6,000vaccinations given
- 1,402sterilizations (spay/neuter)
- 41,046medicines administered
- 2,990diagnostic tests
- 698new rescue intakes
- 600+cruelty cases responded to
Our story
SAFI's History: From One Foster Home to a Hyderabad Shelter and Clinic
- 2014 — Our founder saw the abuse of street animals during a trip to India.
- 2016 — Ujwala Chintala began fostering dogs from rural shelters in Florida, USA.
- 2020 — SAFI was officially registered. During the COVID lockdown we began feeding, rescue, vaccinations, adoptions, releases and sterilizations.
- 2021 — Built a ¼-acre shelter with 25 kennels, four indoor rooms and a container home for 50 dogs.
- 2022 — Expanded to ¾ acre, adding a sanctuary, puppy and senior sections, a disease isolation area, a clinic, a cow area, sterilization kennels and recovery rooms. Veterinary, anti-cruelty and adoption departments were created.
- 2023 — Opened our in-house clinic and bought a blood hematology machine. 12 dogs traveled to the USA for adoption.
- 2024 — Added clinic equipment and grew the vet and anti-cruelty teams. 8 dogs traveled to the USA for adoption.
- 2025 — Expanded the clinic with advanced surgery equipment and instruments. 4 dogs traveled to the USA for adoption.
Who we are
An Animal Welfare Nonprofit for Hyderabad's Stray Animals
What we do
SAFI is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, founded by Ujwala Chintala in 2020 to advocate for the welfare of animals in India. Our focus areas are rescue, mass sterilization, sanctuary care, education, rabies prevention and animal cruelty intervention. Through this work we aim to reduce human–dog conflict and help communities and street dogs live together safely.
Where we work
Our shelter and clinic are in Bowrampet, Hyderabad, the capital of Telangana. Hyderabad is known for the Charminar, Golkonda Fort and Shilparamam — and, like most Indian cities, it faces a large and growing street dog population.
The challenge: stray animals in India
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Stray dogs | 52.5 million |
| Stray cats | 8 million |
| Homeless pets | 70.5 million |
| Stray cattle | 5 million |
| Human rabies deaths per year | 20,000 |
| Dog bites per year | 2.75 million |
| Pet relinquishment rate | 50% |
| Pet sterilization rate | 42% |
| People who think street dogs should be removed | 80% |
Results
SAFI's 2024 Impact: Rescues, Sterilizations and Vaccinations
In 2024 SAFI sterilized 267 street dogs, vaccinated 2,502 animals, took in 165 rescues and responded to 232 cruelty cases in and around Hyderabad.
- 165rescue intakes
- 267spay & neuter surgeries
- 2,502vaccines administered
- 232cruelty cases
- 1,718medical examinations
- 10,933medicines administered
- 642diagnostic tests
- 52sanctuary intakes
- 48adoptions
- 124outpatient cases
- 21other surgeries
What changed because of this work
- An estimated 20,500 puppy and kitten births prevented through sterilization, with less disease transmission and fewer mating-related conflicts.
- 2,502 animals protected directly from disease by vaccination, helping control rabies and other zoonotic diseases.
- 642 neglected and abused animals received diagnostics, and their health and behavior improved.
- 52 vulnerable animals found a safe, permanent home in our sanctuary.
- Earlier detection and treatment of illness led to better health outcomes.
- More cruelty cases reported as community awareness grew, and legal outcomes made the area safer for animals.
What we do
SAFI's Six Programs for India's Street Animals
1. Rescue & rehabilitation
Urgent medical care, shelter and a second chance at life for India's most vulnerable animals.
2. Spay & neuter
Free, high-volume sterilizations across Hyderabad to humanely reduce stray animal populations.
3. Sanctuary
Lifelong care for paralyzed, elderly and special-needs animals who cannot survive on the streets.
4. Adoptions & releases
Our RRSR model — Rescue, Rehabilitate, Sterilize, and Adopt or Release — lets us help the greatest number of animals.
5. Rabies vaccinations
Mass vaccination drives toward a rabies-free India, protecting both street animals and people.
6. Cruelty prevention & education
Legal action, investigations and education that promote compassion and responsible pet ownership.
Transparency
2024 Budget and Revenue: 88.8% of Expenses Spent on Programs
SAFI's 2024 operating expenses were $237,457, and 88.8% went directly to programs. Total 2024 revenue was $279,415.
2024 operating expenses
| Category | Amount | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelter & sanctuary maintenance | $71,322 | 30.0% | |
| Veterinary expenses | $58,461 | 24.6% | |
| Supplies, utilities & repairs | $32,011 | 13.5% | |
| Software & admin | $26,767 | 11.3% | |
| Adoptions | $20,982 | 8.8% | |
| Cruelty prevention | $17,361 | 7.3% | |
| Medical equipment | $10,551 | 4.4% | |
| Total | $237,457 | 100% |
2024 revenue
| Source | Amount | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual donations | $165,754 | 58.4% | |
| Board contributions | $67,260 | 25.0% | |
| Corporate donations | $38,893 | 13.9% | |
| Adoption fees | $2,500 | 0.9% | |
| Interest | — | 1.4% | |
| Grants | $1,000 | 0.4% | |
| Total | $279,415 | 100% |
How veterinary spending was used
| Veterinary area | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rescue & rehabilitation | $17,117 | 29.0% |
| Sanctuary | $12,118 | 20.6% |
| Medical equipment | $10,551 | 17.9% |
| Spay/neuter surgeries | $10,511 | 17.8% |
| Rabies vaccines | $4,770 | 8.1% |
| Software & miscellaneous | $3,137 | 5.3% |
| Outpatients | $762 | 1.3% |
SAFI's IRS Form 990 is available on request. Contact us.
2025 highlight
2025 Clinic Expansion: More Sterilizations and Emergency Care On-Site
In May 2025 SAFI completed a major expansion of our Hyderabad clinic. We added a spacious treatment and outpatient area, a diagnostics room, an operating theater, a new anesthesia machine, surgical lights and more kennels, and we modernized the veterinary office.
The upgrade reduces our dependence on outside facilities and lets our veterinary team perform more spay/neuter and emergency surgeries and treat chronic conditions on-site. It is a key step toward our goal of increasing sterilizations every month.
We urgently need medical supplies and staff to run the clinic: a veterinary technician, a driver and a dog catcher.
Support the clinic
Our shelter and clinic infrastructure
- ¾-acre open campus with 62 kennels and 17 indoor rooms
- Clinic, treatment area, outpatient and waiting area
- Dedicated operating theater with modern veterinary equipment
- Diagnostics room and medicine inventory room
- 10 new rescue isolation kennels
- 2 parvo/distemper isolation rooms and isolation rooms for maggot wounds
- Paralyzed dog rooms and a senior dog area
- 4 kennels for claustrophobic dogs, bathing areas and owner-surrender space
- Cow and goat area
- 8 staff living quarters, a cooking area, an office and a mobile container home
A look around the shelter
Legal advocacy
Fighting Animal Cruelty in Telangana Through the Courts
This year SAFI took on many difficult animal cruelty cases, including mass stray dog killings, animal sacrifice, pet abuse and harassment of feeders, breeder negligence, illegal cow slaughter, and parakeet astrology, monkey charming and poaching.
Animal sacrifice cases
SAFI filed seven FIRs (police complaints) over brutal goat sacrifice practices, including three against one repeat offender who skinned live goats during rituals. Our FIR led to his arrest. We are now pursuing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking stricter action against animal sacrifice nationwide.
Petitions for abandoned cows and street animal feeders
Last year's writ petition on abandoned cows has been converted into a PIL. We also filed a writ petition against the harassment of street animal feeders, which we expect to become a PIL as well.
Justice for puppies killed in an apartment complex
After a widely shared video showed a man throwing 5-day-old puppies to their deaths inside an apartment complex, SAFI filed an FIR, hired a lawyer and submitted the video evidence. We are actively pursuing prosecution.
Rescuing dogs from breeder and owner neglect
We rescued 14 Shih Tzu puppies crammed into small crates by a breeder; all but one blind puppy were rehabilitated and adopted. In another case, three Shih Tzus had been kept in a tiny crate for life — one gave birth to four puppies inside it during our visit. All of them, including the newborns, were rescued and adopted.
"Every animal deserves a life free from pain and cruelty. I'm especially focused on effective Animal Birth Control (ABC) programs at the village level, where awareness and infrastructure are limited. By promoting sterilization, vaccination, community involvement and responsible pet ownership, I hope to reduce human–animal conflict."
Public health
Rabies-Free India: Vaccinating 1,000 Street Dogs for World Rabies Day
According to the World Health Organization, India is endemic for rabies and accounts for 36% of the world's human rabies deaths. Rabies is 99% fatal and 100% preventable through vaccination. Eliminating it requires vaccinating and sterilizing street dogs.
For World Rabies Day, SAFI vaccinates 1,000 street dogs. Each of our two teams has a dog catcher, a vaccinator, a record keeper and a person who paint-marks each vaccinated dog so no dog is vaccinated twice.
How we measure it: we record how many dogs are vaccinated in each area and whether they are sterilized. Our goal is to reach at least 70% of the dogs in each area — the coverage needed to eliminate rabies.
Community partnership
Stray Dog Sterilization at Mindspace IT Park, Hyderabad
In Year 2 of the Mindspace Sterilization Project, SAFI continued humane population control for stray dogs across the 97-acre Mindspace IT complex. Our approach:
- Daily feeding builds trust through consistent care.
- Familiarization helps dogs feel safe around our team.
- Humane catching by trained staff.
- Sterilization and release back to their home area.
- Sustained impact: fewer puppies and safer coexistence on campus.
Stories of hope
International Adoptions: Indian Street Dogs Thriving in the USA
Indian street dogs are loving and intelligent, yet they face widespread discrimination. Through our international adoption program, SAFI rescue dogs now live with families in Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, Washington, Massachusetts, Tennessee and Utah. Whether you live in India, the USA or the UK, we can help make an adoption possible.
Maruthi: from two legs on the streets to a forever home
Maruthi was found on the streets of Hyderabad with only two functioning legs, one front and one back. His injuries were severe and one leg had to be amputated. We expected him to live out his life in our sanctuary — until Deepti from Houston, Texas saw his video on Instagram and knew she had to help.
Two months later Maruthi flew to Florida with SAFI founder Ujwala, then on to his new home in Houston. Now named Soldier, he lives with a loving family, and his story has inspired a children's book.
In loving memory of Abhi
Rescued at just 9 days old with a leg injury, Abhi survived an amputation and found a loving home in the US with Jason and Adam. After months of care for ongoing health problems, they made the heartbreaking decision to let him go. Abhi passed peacefully in Jason's arms, surrounded by love.
Available for adoption
Janu (India)
Born to a stray mother, Janu came to us at 6 weeks old with a leg injury. She's healed, full of life and ready for her forever home.
Dolly (USA)
A 3-year-old Pomeranian found paralyzed at 2 months old. She gets around in a wheelchair, is not incontinent, is potty-trained and is easy to care for.
Stokes & Avika (USA)
Stokes is a calm, loving senior who wants a soft bed, kind company and endless belly rubs.
Avika is a sweet, shy young girl who is learning to trust — and becomes very affectionate once she does.
Adopt a SAFI dogGotcha days: SAFI dogs in their forever homes in the USA
A "gotcha day" is the anniversary of the day a rescue dog joined their family. These Indian street dogs once lived on the streets of Hyderabad. Today they live in homes across the USA.
One year home
Florida
Florida
Florida
California
California
Texas
Seattle, WA
Florida
Florida · still looking for a home
Two years home
Texas
North Carolina
Boston, MA
Seattle, WA
North Carolina
Nashville, TN
North Carolina
North Carolina
Salt Lake City, UT
North Carolina
North Carolina
Five years home
North Carolina
California
Six years home
Florida
Florida
Florida
In loving memory
Adopted in the USA
Adopted in the USA
Awareness
SAFI Rides for Strays: Riding the Himalayas for Those Who Can't Speak
In May, the SAFI team — our founder, shelter managers, veterinary staff and our adoption and cruelty prevention teams — rode through the remote heights of Ladakh. At villages, monasteries and busy markets we talked with locals, tourists, monks and bikers about India's most overlooked animals.
We handed out flyers, talked about cruelty cases, explained the value of Indian breeds, and showed how one act of kindness, like sponsoring a meal, can change a life.
A wedding in the SAFI family
Vikas and Sai Sree met in 2020 on a SAFI rescue mission, when Vikas brought an injured dog to Sai Sree's home for foster care. What began as a shared mission grew into a deep bond: together they founded our India NGO and have dedicated themselves to rescuing, fostering and advocating for animals. Despite personal challenges and societal pressures, they married on May 16, 2023, in a traditional, vegan, eco-friendly wedding surrounded by fellow rescuers, friends and adopted animals.
SAFI President Ujwala Chintala and Vice President Kimberly Ferren traveled to India for the wedding. It was Kimberly's first visit to the shelter she helped build — in 2022 she played a key role in creating our clinic, operating theater and sanctuary. During the visit, the board and the India team assessed SAFI's needs for 2026 (see the wishlist).
People
Our Founders, Team and Board
Ujwala Chintala — Founder & President
After witnessing the suffering of stray animals in her hometown of Hyderabad, Ujwala founded SAFI in 2020 to drive change from within India. With a science background, an MBA and 20 years in IT, she brings both compassion and expertise. Her 9 years of rescue work and fostering 85 animals guide SAFI's mission.
Sai Sree Reddy — India NGO Founder
At 23, Sai Sree turned her love for animals into action. After rescuing a puppy in 2019 she founded Breath Animal Rescue to care for India's sick, injured and elderly animals. She leads a 14-member team and is hands-on in shelter operations and fostering critical cases.
Meet the India team
Shelter Manager
Sterilizations Manager
Shelter Supervisor
Veterinarian
Veterinarian
Veterinary Technician
Cruelty Prevention Officer
Cruelty Prevention Assistant
Cruelty Prevention Assistant
Cruelty Prevention Assistant
Cruelty Prevention Assistant
Legal Advisor
Adoptions Counselor
Adoptions Coordinator
SAFI USA board (100% volunteer)
Founder & President
Vice President
Secretary
Assistant Secretary
Treasurer
Volunteers & staff love our animals
How you can help
SAFI's 2026 Wishlist: Veterinary and Shelter Needs
During the board's visit to India, we reviewed what the shelter and clinic need most in 2026. Every item below goes directly to animal care in Hyderabad.
Veterinary needs
| Item | Cost (USD) | Cost (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| X-ray machine | $14,000 | ₹13,00,000 |
| Blood transfusion equipment (bags, tube sealer, IV sets, collection monitor, centrifuge) | $2,120 | ₹1,87,000 |
| Surgery instruments (forceps, scissors, 10 needle holders) | $400 | — |
| Binocular microscope | $200 | ₹15,000 |
| Surgery chairs (need 2) | $120 each | ₹9,000 each |
| IV stands (need 4) | $25 each | ₹2,200 each |
Shelter needs
| Item | Cost (USD) | Cost (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Flooring & roof for the paralyzed dog area | $1,400 | ₹1,20,000 |
| Tiles for isolation kennels | $1,000 | ₹85,000 |
| Sunshades | $600 | ₹50,000 |
| Dog catching nets (need 4) | $80 each | ₹7,000 each |
| Room heaters (need 2) | $80 each | ₹13,000 each |
Our biggest single need is an X-ray machine ($14,000). It would let our vets diagnose fractures and internal injuries right at our clinic.
Fund a wishlist item Sponsor a meal
Give India's Street Animals a Better Life
Five years in, SAFI is just getting started. Your gift funds rescues, sterilizations, vaccinations and legal protection for animals who have no one else.
Donate now AdoptPhotography: Sabith Jasari (SnootShoot) and Sathwik Kanneganti (sathwik.petphotography).
