THURSDAY 7 OCTOBER 2010

LEISURECHENNAI TIMES

8

Travelling can be fun either whenyou’re on a vacation or on a busi-ness trip, as you always manage to

squeeze a little time to see the place andshop around. However, with travellingcomes meticulous packing, to keep youprepared for any unforeseen situations.And if you’re travelling with a pet, youneed to take care of the special needs ofyour pet and prepare yourself for any petemergencies. Here are some tips tosmoothen your journey while travellingwith your pet:

� Firstly, you need to assess your pet. Ifyour pet is young or old, or ill, they arein a delicate condition and thus, needextra care. In such situations, it’s betterto leave your pet in someone’s carerather than make them travel.

� Take your pet to the vet for a healthcheck-up. Assess your pet’s health, forany problems. Also discuss the destina-tion, duration and the modes of travel-ling with your pet’s vet, to see if its fea-sible and comfortable for your pet. Getthe necessary vaccinations adminis-tered.

� Do a bit of research to know if the hotelyou’re going to be staying, accepts pets.Whether there are any pet-friendly serv-ices or grooming facilities at the hotelor in the vicinity nearby. Also, find out ifthere are any special pet fees included,food arrangements for pets etc.

� Pack enough food, soaps, toys etc. foryour pet, to last the entire trip. You don’t

want your precious to starve and fallsick.

� Try to make sure that your pet is wellplaced in the airplane carrier. It can bea difficult for your pet to travel all alonein a strange environment especiallyduring long-hour flights.

� Place toys or better still some sock or akerchief, used by you i.e. play things.This will help your pet from feelinglonely in the carrier.

� Paste your pet’s name and more impor-tantly your name, address and numberon the carrier box in which your pet isin. In case of a loss of baggage, your petwill be returned to you.

� Pets should not be given food and waterimmediately before a flight becausethey will feel the urge to relieve them-selves during the journey, which won’tbe possible.

� Just before beginning your journey,make your pet walk and run around.Take them for a run and some playtime,as they will be stationed in the carrierfor the entire journey. Also, it will drainsome of your pet’s energy making itsleepy and calm during the journey.

� Usually, a scared pet may defecate, uri-nate or even vomit. Therefore, placeextra towels in their carrier.

� Never place a leash in the crate or carri-er because your pet might get entangledin it.

TNN

If you were under the impressionthat the youth in Chennai wereonly concerned with throwing

caution to the wind, having fun andpartying the sultry nights away,you’re in for a big surprise. In thebackdrop of the Wildlife Week,which will culminate today, severalyoung minds in the city have cometogether to show how connectedthey are with their ‘green zones’.

Irrespective of the fact that theylive in modern-day concrete jun-gles, the youth brigade is now goingall-out on night safaris to observethe behaviour of giant crocodilesand alligators, pitching in their

efforts towards the afforestationprocess in various belts which areunder threat of destruction andcatching up on seminars and docu-mentaries highlighting the state ofthe environment.

Speaking about the initiativeshis group is carrying out for pro-tection of India’s precious forestlands, Ramesh Venkataraman, thefounder of Junglescapes, an NGOdedicated to the preservation ofnatural habitats, afforestation andempowerment of tribal groups liv-ing in the vicinity of forestreserves, says, “We are joiningforces with everyone from corpo-

rates to the student community tochildren and adults to help us inour quest to restore the green coverin high risk areas in Karnatakaand Tamil Nadu. By inspiring peo-ple to plant saplings on a largescale, creating eco-friendly chulhas

and disseminating informationabout carbon credits and how they

can be purchased, we are doingour bit to help increase the

green cover in affectedareas.”

While there are afforesta-tion efforts on one side, onthe other end of the spec-

trum, environmentalactivists and conservationists

are trying their best to educateChennaiites about the roles rep-

tiles play in our ecosystem.Akanksha Mukherjee from the

centre for herpetology at theMadras Crocodile Bank says, “Wehad several visitors coming in thisyear as part of the Wildlife Weekcelebrations. One of the most excit-ing programmes was the 30-minutenight safari across the park. Thevisitors primarily come to see theeye-shine of the crocodiles, which

is only visible during the night asthey resurface for breathing. It isalso one of the techniques used toconduct census on such reptiles.Which is why, a lot of young naturelovers find this walk useful fortheir research.”

In fact, youngsters in Chennaitoday have realised that it’s onthem that the onus of protectingwildlife resources will fall, in thenot so distant future.

Nishant Doshi, a student of apopular college in the city, elabo-rates, “We had recently conducted awildlife poster design contest forthe students in our campus forwhich we received several entriesfrom students in all departments.Apart from this, the nature club ofour college, which is very active,also arranged for an excursion tothe Guindy National Park, whichwas quite a fun experience for all ofus. Following this, we conducted aseedling distribution drive toensure that all students wereentrusted with the responsibility ofnurturing at least one tree in theirneighbourhood.”

Bijoy Bharathan

Young nature lovers in Chennai have come togetherto raise awareness and herald positive change inthe backdrop of the Wildlife Week celebrations...

� Check out the nightsafari at the CrocodileBank. Spotting the eye-shine of the crocodiles atdusk is one of the high-lights of this tour.

� Wildlife and nature pho-tography enthusiasts canfind havens in the middleof the city in places likethe Theosophical Societygrounds and VasantaVihar (KFI) at RA Puram.

� The Guindy National Parkis also one of the must-seezones for nature lovers inthe city.

CITY SPOT

Travelling with pets...CITIZENSSHOWCASE'WILD' SIDE

CITIZENSSHOWCASE'WILD' SIDE

BOW WOW:It is advisable to checkwith your veterinarianabout your pet’s healthbefore you take off onyour vacation

© Ronnie Kaufman/CORBIS