Who doesn't know the famous Dr. Dolittle, that animal doctor who had the uncanny ability to speak to animals? That character became a symbol of humanity's love for animals and the ability we all wish we had, to communicate with them. He may be a completely fictional character, but there are some "real" Dr. Dolittles out there in our world who have earned the title due to their incredible dedication to animals; One of those is definitely Dr. Dallakyan Dallakyan, a doctor who operates in the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia. However, his name has become world-famous due to his inspiring story and his unceasing efforts for animals.
Karen's career started in a completely normal way; He was born in Armenia and studied at a veterinary school in Russia. Once he finished school, he moved to Chelyabinsk where he made his home and clinic and is still there today.
While working at various private clinics around the city, Karen started to understand that in many cases these clinics are more interested in making money than the welfare of the animal and its health. He decided to open his own clinic to change things.
The first unusual patient at the new clinic was a tiny tiger cub named Garlic, who suffered from paralysis brought about by a lack of protein in his diet. Everyone was sure that little Garlic was going to die, but Dr. Dallakyan had other plans for him, he used an unheard of technique - he used the cats in his clinic to help him with little massages with their paws, little bites - and amazingly it worked, and Garlic's body slowly returned to normal function.
In another case, Dr. Dallakyan treated a monkey suffering from hypothermia; this animal was quite exotic, and the vet had to find an original way to treat it, even consulting with a pediatrician. Eventually, it was decided to give the monkey hot wine to save her. Another unconventional remedy that worked wonderfully. The monkey became super attached to Karen and often acted possessively towards him (even fighting the female staff).
Dr. Dallakyan has many more stories like those 2 above, from porcupines to swans, wolves to lions - but there is one special story he will never forget, which changed his life. It started with a colleague that called him and told him of a tiger with a terrible fever and no one knew what to do to save it. Dr. Dallakyan immediately arranged for the sick tiger, 5-month-old Jorik, to be brought to his clinic. When the tiger arrived, Dr. Dallakyan noticed he had a big wound on his face, that smelled like rot and had spread to its bone tissue.
The people who brought Jorik told the vet that one of the meals the tiger got in the zoo had a raw bird in it that scratched the tiger deeply with its bone and it got infected. In addition, a local vet had taken out the tiger's teeth, which made everything worse. Karen treated the little cub with the utmost dedication, and it took six months just to pull him from the brink of death. Slowly he came back to himself (and even started trashing the room he was held in). With time, he began not only to become healthy but to trust the doctor, who started sleeping next to him, eating breakfast with him and even taking him on little walks.
When Jorik was deemed healthy, Dr. Dallakyan contacted the zoo people who brought him and told them they could take him back. But when they got to the clinic and saw a part of his face was missing, they told Dr. Dallakyan they will come in 6 months to take the tiger to be skinned. Dr. Dallakyan's heart couldn't take this happening to this animal he loved, and so started raising money from donations so he could buy Jorik from the zoo. The people of his city opened their hearts and wallets, and eventually, he got the large amount needed to buy Jorik and send him to a medical center to fully recuperate.
Despite the things Dr. Dallakyan does seeming at times like miracles - you can be assured there is a ton of hard work to do in order to successfully treat exotic animals. Dr. Dallakyan relied on professional literature, other medical professionals and mostly his own experience.
His family was there for him as well. His wife, children, and father were there with him from day one and allowed him also to turn their home into a shelter for animals needing treatment, even before he built one independently.
After the case with Jorik, Dr. Dallakyan created a fund to protect animals, called "Save Me". It mainly helps animals that have been abused, and he still works around the clock trying to protect as many animals as he can.
Still, he also finds time to educate the younger generation to love nature and the animals - he and his people are conducting lectures, seminars, and conventions in order to pass on his knowledge and some of his dedication. According to him, there are still too many people in Russia who don't know how to treat animals, and that leads to many problems he'd like to rectify.
"I want to live to see the day I never have to see animals that have been abused," he says. When asked if he thinks that's possible, he said that this is the optimism he channels into his work.
H/T: Bright Side
Cover image by: Karendallakyan
