Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Center Information

India's oldest and Asia’s largest all-animal shelter, the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Care Centre (SGACC) was founded in 1980 from a legacy bequeathed by the late Mrs Ruth Cowell of New South Wales, Australia to Sanjay Gandhi. Inaugurated in September 1983, the SGACC is home to over 3000 animals at any given point. Spread over four acres of tree covered land in West Delhi’s Raja Garden, between Shivaji College and the Home Guards' HQ, it assures space in a secure natural environment for animals and birds. SGACC is open 24/7 and runs a round-the-clock free animal ambulance service and helpline. Its busy OPD treats over 200 animals a day providing medical, diagnostic, surgical, and dental services. It is part of the city municipality's ABC (Animal Birth Control) programme wherein it sterilises and vaccinates street dogs. It works closely with the police to take in and care for animals confiscated in cruelty cases such as overloading and neglectful ownership. It organises a thrice weekly adoption stall at a shopping mall through which it has placed over 2000 Indian puppies in loving homes. Under the patronage of Maneka Gandhi, this pioneering facility named after her husband, Sanjay Gandhi, has thus flourished into a well-staffed, well-equipped, veterinary centre that is a boon for animals and their well wishers. While the Chairperson, Maneka Gandhi, visits regularly and is actively involved, the day-to-day management is headed by the Hospital Director while veterinary services are supervised by the Medical Director. Each separate department has an administrative head.