July 1, 2026
A message from our Executive Director Claire Abrams Myers
I was just 13 years old when my parents founded Animal Aid.
Since then, we’ve grown alongside each other — me, from a teenager into adulthood, and Animal Aid, from a tiny plot of rented land with a few kennels and caregivers, to a team of 150 staff helping more than 17,000 animals every year. Today, we respond to around 90 emergency calls every day, and the journey continues.
Growing up rescuing animals from accidents and injury, witnessing suffering on a large scale from a young age, wasn’t always easy. But I also grew up witnessing the incredible beauty of compassion and love, coming from people all over the world. While I’ve seen more animals in desperate conditions over the span of my life than the average person, I’m also privileged to have seen a generous, inspired, heroic side of humanity.
I’ve seen firsthand the power of people believing in a better world for animals. Believing that every life matters. Believing that together, we can change the course of life not only for the animals we rescue here in Udaipur, but for the community, near and far, who take part in these healing journeys.
That belief has allowed Animal Aid to grow far beyond what any of us could have imagined when we first began rescuing animals 25 years ago. Unlimited Unleashed is the culmination of everything we have built together during that time.
The constraints of operating on rented land with limited facilities have been challenges our team has worked creatively and tirelessly to overcome. But now it is time to build a shelter that works for the animals rather than one that presents daily obstacles to the care they need.
Our infrastructure limitations affect more than just the number of animals we can house. They impact how many staff we can effectively employ, the enrichment and recovery spaces needed for animals at different stages of healing, our ability to host education and training programs, and the efficiency of our rescue operations.
Some of these limitations may seem small, but their impact can be significant. For example, at our current site we don’t have space to park or wash our ambulances, so valuable time is spent collecting vehicles from off-site parking before rescue work can begin. Because we receive far more calls on our emergency helpline than we can attend every day, every improvement to the way animals are admitted, treated, monitored, operated on, rehabilitated and released means more lives can be saved.
Unlimited Unleashed will allow us to build for the future — to rescue more animals, meet more complex treatment and recovery needs, support our growing team, and create a sanctuary that reflects the scale of the need we see every day.
I hope you’ll consider making a gift to Unlimited Unleashed and helping us build the future home of animal rescue in Udaipur. Your support today will help shape what this sanctuary can offer from the very first day it opens.
Image: L-R Erika Abrams and Claire Abrams Myers at the site of Animal Aid’s new home.
