ISLAMABAD: A unique fundraiser exhibition of animal portraits by filmmaker and photographer Umar Riaz opened on Monday.

Serena Hotel General Manager Michel Galopin inaugurated the show titled ‘Virtue Without Vice: Portraits from ACF Animal Rescue’.

Over 20 portraits of dogs, donkeys, cats and kites rescued and rehabilitated by a Karachi-based organisation went on display at the Nomad Gallery.

There are moving but uplifting stories behind every animal shown in the portraits taken by Umar Riaz, who is also a volunteer of the Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation (ACF) — perhaps the first of its kind initiative in Pakistan launched in 2013 by a young animal lover, Ayesha Chundrigar.

Curator and director of the gallery Nageen Hyat, in her introductory remarks, appreciated the photographer for his work and for bringing to the limelight the mistreatment of animals in our society to evoke empathy among people and sensitise them about animal welfare.

She hoped that there were many sensitive people who could respond to and contribute towards good causes like animal welfare, disasters and rehabilitation.

She said photography and film were the most effective medium to highlight such issues.

“The portraits of animals, especially the donkeys, are very moving,” commented Galopin.

In a lighter vein, he said that he first saw a donkey six years ago when he visited Faisalabad.

Mr Galopin said there were not much stringent laws in Pakistan to protect animals from abuse and cruelty. This could be gauged from the fact that the British colonial-era laws of Animal Protect Act 1890 were still in vogue which envisaged only Rs50 fine for abuse or cruelty to animals. However, he said that it was encouraging that a bill had been presented in the parliament suggesting increasing the fine to Rs200,000.

A Senate standing committee in July passed ‘The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Amendment) Bill, 2018’,suggesting increasing the fine for cruelty to animal from Rs50 to Rs300,000 along with imprisonment.

The Ayesha Chundrigar Foundation was founded in 2013 with the vision to assist and empower marginalised communities, people and animals alike, giving them a chance to live a better life,” stated the foundation’s CEO who could not make it to the exhibition.

ACF undertook the task of rescuing street animals that had been injured and abused from all over Karachi.

Talking to Dawn about ACF’s vision, Ali Chundrigar, Ayesha’s father, said it was a holistic approach to assist marginalised communities of fisherfolk and donkey owners, enabling them to improve their livelihood as well as their animals.

“Now we have a state-of-the-art animal shelter where we provide safe refuge, medical treatment and food to 500 animals. Our 30 employees actively work with animals such as donkeys and aim to empower the donkey owners as well,” said Mr Chundrigar.

Ms Ayesha has won a WWFF-Pakistan project from among 10 contestants for providing training to poor fisherfolk women how to make a better and cheap harness by reusing ghost fishing nets and polythene bags for donkeys.

“Many of donkey owners are the least cared for and often ignored community who live at to the baseline of poverty. With the use of a humane harness, a donkey’s injuries can be reduced by 70%,” he added.

The foundation has three vets and volunteers in IOslamabad who visit Fatehjang bricks kiln and rescue donkeys and provide them treatment, said Mr Chundrigar.Umar Riaz, a Lahore-based filmmaker and photographer, and currently living in New York, became a volunteer of the ACF three years ago. Being an animal lover, he felt its work closer to his heart and expressed his interest in making portraits of the rescued animals.

In 2009 he graduated with a degree in English Literature and Cinema Studies from New York University’s College of Arts and Science. He then graduated from the Graduate Film Programme at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts where he was awarded an Ang Lee Scholarship for “exceptionally talented graduate film students”.

Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2018

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