Viriya Raman and his deep love for strays

Free Malaysia Today

In the Gombak region, 65-year-old Viriya Raman, a humble lorry driver, is a lifeline for hundreds of stray dogs that he cooks for and feeds every day.   To donate, kindly contact Viriya Raman at 012-380 9417.   Written, shot & presented by: Theevya Ragu  Edited by: Hemaviknesh Supramaniam   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2024/10/06/a-man-on-a-mission-to-feed-gombaks-stray-dogs/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #ViriyaAppu #Strayfeeder #Dogs #Food

Transcript

00:00One sound of the car horn and they instantly know who's here.

00:08Stray dogs sprint to meet the man who has fed them every single day without fail for the past 14 years.

00:18Fondly known as Virya Appu, 65-year-old Virya Raman works as a lorry driver by day

00:25while single-handedly feeding around a hundred stray dogs in the Gombat region every evening.

00:33Living in Kampong Indian settlement Batu Caves,

00:36Virya cooks around 25 kilograms of rice with chicken daily for the dogs.

00:43While friends and relatives assist him in the kitchen, the bulk of the responsibility

00:48for feeding and rescuing the dogs rests on his shoulders.

00:53Despite his asthma, he tirelessly loads tubs of food into his Kanchil car and travels along Jalan Gombat,

01:03stopping at various locations to feed the strays there, even if there are only three or four of them at a time.

01:11At an isolated quarry where people frequently abandon their pets, the dogs are left alone with no scraps to eat.

01:19In this harsh reality, Virya is their lifeline.

01:37And he wasn't wrong. The dogs, young, old, small, big and a few even injured and disabled,

01:45could not wait to gobble down the food brought by Virya,

01:48eagerly sticking their heads deep into the tub to get at every scrap.

01:54Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, Virya shared that it all began in 2010

01:59when he witnessed a heart-wrenching scene on the streets.

02:15When he first started feeding the strays, it was with leftover food in his mouth.

02:21He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:24He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:27He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:30He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:33He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:36He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:39He would eat the leftover food in his mouth.

02:42When he fed the strays, it was with leftover food that he collected from restaurants.

02:46However, during the pandemic, one of the hardest times for strays in Malaysia,

02:51he began cooking fresh food daily.

02:54He spends around RM300 each day.

02:58Largely funding this effort out of his own pocket,

03:02he is now reaching out to members of the public for donations

03:06so he can continue being a lifeline for unfortunate strays in his area.

03:12TVA Ragu, FMT Lifestyle

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