Christine's Ark

Book excerpt: The extraordinary story of Christine Townend and an Indian animal shelter Christine Townend is an extraordinary person, who has dedicated her life to helping the most vulnerable creatures in our society – the animals that we rely on for food, labour or just companionship. In the 1970s she founded Animal Liberation in an attempt to prevent cruel farming practices. It made her a highly controversial figure yet Christine never turned away from her mission to lessen animal suffering. While Animal Liberation did enormous good, Christine's real lifework was still ahead of her. A visit to India in 1990 offered her the opportunity to take over a decrepit animal shelter just outside the city of Jaipur, called Help in Suffering. When she first arrived it contained little more than a few stray dogs and the odd goat. Yet from that small beginning Christine has had an immense impact across the length and breadth of the country, transforming the lives of thousands of animals and the people who rely on them for their livelihood. During this remarkable journey she has had to constantly balance her determination to make a difference with her loyalty to her husband and two sons. Christine's Ark is an inspiring and poignant story of India, its animals and its people, and of one woman's unwavering struggle to change the world for the better.