A LESSON OF CO-EXISTENCE Animal Assisted Therapy Center Integrated with an Animal Shelter

Abstract

Since the beginning of humanity, the relationship of interdependency between human and animal has been rooted in history. With increasing urbanization, the cities are being depleted of the biodiversity. Humans are neglecting The Other Beings who form a major part encircling them and continue to care about themselves only and their foremost surroundings. Human species being on top of the food chain constantly take advantage of the ones beneath them. Every year, more than 50,000 stray dogs are killed across Pakistan. From the alleged rape of a kitten by teenagers in Lahore to the death of two lions during transfer from zoo, animal cruelty has come under scrutiny in Pakistan. Faisalabad, being the third largest city greatly faces this issue, however, there is a scant regard for it. These rising cases of animal cruelty call for a complex where injured and abused street and labor animals can be rescued and rehabilitated, awareness public and domestic level is created along with the introduction of animal assisted therapy in Pakistan that allows people to acknowledge the healing environment both beings can create for each other. The aim is to give out the lesson of coexistence through animal care, shelter, and animal assisted therapy center in the city of Faisalabad. This is done through a motivating and healing design that attracts not only the animal lover but a non-animal lover as well. The primary objective is to design a space that speaks beyond the five freedoms and provides the rescued animals a life worth living, moreover, to create a training zone for the rehabilitated animals so that they can act as healers in the animal assisted therapy, to humans during their therapeutic journey, a growing field that can be a step towards the human wellness. The secondary objective is to promote awareness and educate people regarding this mushrooming issue that would help uplift the value of the degraded animals in Pakistan. The project consists of a design proposal in which one step is taken forward from the traditional shelters and towards rethinking them. The major data collection is done through primary and secondary research of both national and international animal welfare works. Cats, Dogs and Donkeys are studied and catered based on the animal selection criteria for the program. Extractions from the precedent studies and behavioral study of these animals will lead to creation of spaces that are as much for the animals as they are for humans. Humans are not the only species inhabiting the planet, in fact, they are part of a fragile system made up of all living things. If we are to survive, we need to depend on and trust each other. Coexist.