Partho and Sreetama Bhattacharjee with a dog that their five-year-old Sarsuna centre shelters

For a bunch of Mother’s Heart inmates, Valentine’s Day meant a day out with heart-shaped pink balloons and roses. The puppies and kittens purred and licked their limbs as visitors at Forum, on Elgin Road, stopped by at the lobby to look at them.

The animals were up for adoption. The event also kicked off an awareness-cum-fundraiser campaign, supported by Wiccan Brigade and AMRI Hospitals.

Run by Partho and Sreetama Bhattacharjee, the five-year-old Sarsuna-based animal shelter (30/1 Jadav Ghosh Road, Calcutta 61, Ph: 9831476415) houses 54 dogs and 26 cats. It organises birth control operations and vaccination drives, treats injured animals, rescues strays and feeds scores of dogs and cats every day.

“Our focus is on adoption, sterilisation and setting up of a treatment centre. We are looking for land and raising funds,” said Sreetama. The centre runs on the subscription of about 40 members.

The animal welfare wing of the Wiccan Brigade — launched by wiccan Ipsita Roy Chakraverti last November — is helping Mother’s Heart in a string of projects. The first to take off was a vaccination drive for 20 dogs in January.

“Wicca has always been close to nature and animals. We are helping Mother’s Heart raise funds. In the pipeline is a show by strays who will be put up for adoption,” said Ipsita.

Mother’s Heart will put up posters and donation boxes at the two AMRI units, in Dhakuria and Salt Lake. “The centre needs land to expand its animal hospital and a part of the cost will be borne by us,” said S.K. Todi, director of AMRI Hospitals.

To find homes for the dogs and cats, Wiccan Brigade is building a website (www. mothers-heart.org). It can be accessed from February 21. “The website will have pictures of our animals with the name, age and breed,” explained Sreetama.