The four canine heroes of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai – Sultan, Max, Caesar and Tiger – are no more, but for animal activist Fizzah Shah, whose Virar farm was home to the sniffer dogs, work goes on as usual, says Supriya Bhonsle
“It was the most beautiful experience of my life to have our brave soldiers on my farm. I am fortunate,” says Fizzah Shah, the gutsy animal activist, whose Virar animal farm was home to four 26/11 sniffer dogs before they passed away last year. Shah adopted the four – a first for bomb squad dogs – following months of meticulous paperwork and site visits by the Mumbai Police in June 2015. “I had a lot of running around to do for adoption, but I’m glad that the Mumbai Police was so thorough in their background check,” she says. The hero dogs – Ceasar, Max, Tiger and Sultan – all aged between 11 and 12, had comfortably settled in at the farm before losing their respective battles to old age blues. “They played a key role in the terror attack operations in 2008,” remembers Shah proudly, adding, “They were part of the dog squad that helped the Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) detect RDX and other explosives and minimize casualties in the 2008 terror attacks that left more than 160 people dead and 300 injured.” In fact, the four were part of each major investigation of bomb blasts since 2004. This included the 26/11 terror attacks, the 2006 serial blasts as well as the blasts in Zaveri Bazaar. During 26/11, Max recovered 8 kg of RDX on both sides of the Taj. “Before they were moved in here from their Goregaon and LT Marg kennels, we had freshly earthed their homes with a mesh to separate them from other rescued strays and abandoned pets,” informs Shah. “They were given small cubicles of their own, a shed under which they could rest and a thatched shelter too.” Meeting Shah you realise what must have prompted Mumbai Police to agree to her adoption request. She has the aura of a strong person, but soft at heart – someone who has always loved animals and whose objective in life is to take as many needy animals under her care as possible. Shah’s farm in the bustling Virar area of the city homes an ensemble of birds and animals, all of them rescued from various tough life situations, but now living peaceful lives far from harm.
There are some 350 rescued animals at her farm, all of which are diligently cared for, including birds and marine life. “I have so many abandoned dogs under my care and almost all of them have had traumatic lives. They can’t speak, but they express their turmoil through their eyes and behaviour. They have to be comforted and given time to adjust to new surroundings. At my farm, we give them their freedom and love to heal their wounded spirits,” she informs. Though she can’t be at her farm all the time, she is in constant touch with her assistants to discuss with them about the various items needed for the upkeep or the upcoming activities to be organised at the farm. She makes sure all animals and birds are given prompt medical aid and she personally supervises and provides that loving touch to each of them with no discrimination. Every weekend she checks on them and treats her assistants at the farm as her extended family. “They are the ones who tend to the farm and the animals in my absence,” she says.
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