Puppies in small cages; parrots, sparrows, rabbits, ducks, and pigeons forcibly removed from their natural habitat and crammed into tiny cages, inside which they fight and injure one another. They languish in unhygienic conditions, often exposed to the hot sun just so that they can catch the attention of passers-by. Often the animals are kept without adequate food or water.

The bumpy red-earth road off Katana leads us through lush greenery to the old gate, and going down the circular drive we stop under the porch of an old house. It’s a beauty, with ornate mal vaeda along the roof and lawns all round, bordered by narrow footpaths leading down the two-acre expanse of land behind and on the side of it.