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NCERT Solutions Poorvi Chapter 2 Animals, Birds, and Dr. Dolittle — Let us explore

Book page 58 Updated on2026-09-05

Q1.
The word ‘goshala' translates to ‘cowshed' in English. It is a Sanskrit word that is made up of the words ‘go', which means ‘cow', and śālā, which means ‘shed' or ‘hall'. Plan a visit with the teacher to a ‘goshala' and find out how the cows are looked after.
Answer

How to plan the visit

  1. With your teacher, find the nearest goshala — many are run by temples, gaushala trusts or municipal bodies. Take written permission from the school and from the goshala in-charge.
  2. Go in the morning, when feeding, milking and cleaning are all happening.
  3. Carry a notebook, and prepare your questions before you go.
  4. Do not feed or touch the animals without the caretaker's permission.

Questions to ask the caretaker

  • How many cows are here, and how many are old or abandoned?
  • What is the daily feed — green fodder, dry fodder, oil cake, mineral mixture? How much per cow?
  • How often is the shed cleaned, and where does the dung go (compost, gobar gas)?
  • Who is the visiting veterinary doctor, and how often does he come?
  • How is the shed kept cool in summer and warm in winter?
  • Where does the money come from — donations, milk sales, government help?
Sample report: We visited the Shri Gopal Goshala on the edge of our town. It keeps 84 cows, of which 30 are too old to give milk. The cows are fed green fodder twice a day and a mineral mixture in the evening; drinking water is kept in a long stone trough that is scrubbed daily. The sheds are washed every morning and the dung goes into a gobar-gas plant that runs the kitchen. A veterinary doctor visits every Wednesday. The caretaker told us that the hardest part is summer, so they have put up jute curtains and fans. We came back understanding what Doctor Dolittle knew — an animal that is looked after properly hardly ever falls ill.
Word note: go (गो) = cow + śālā (शाला) = shed or hall → goshala. The same śālā appears in pathshala (school) and dharmashala (rest house).
Q2.
Ayurveda is the oldest existing medical system in India. Animals received good medicinal care in ancient India. Indian medical treatises like Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Harita Samhita contain references of care of animals. Find out names of different organisations that work for the welfare of animals with the help of the teacher.
Answer

Method: Look in three places — a government website, your city's municipal corporation page, and a local newspaper's city section. Then make a table like the one below and add the organisations working in your own district.

OrganisationLevelWhat it does
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI)National (statutory body, set up 1962)Advises the government on animal welfare law and funds shelters
SPCA — Society for Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsDistrict level, in most districtsRescues cruelly treated animals and files complaints under the law
Blue Cross of India (Chennai)City / nationalAnimal hospital, rescue ambulance, adoption, sterilisation drives
People For Animals (PFA)National, with many city unitsShelters, mobile clinics, rescue helplines
Wildlife SOSNationalRescues elephants, bears and leopards; runs rehabilitation centres
Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)NationalWild animal rescue, habitat protection, human–animal conflict work
Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS)NationalBird and wildlife research and conservation since 1883
Friendicoes SECA (Delhi)CityStreet animal hospital, ambulance and adoption
Local goshalas and pinjrapolesTown / villageCare for abandoned cattle; pinjrapoles are a very old Indian institution
Did you know? The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 is the law behind most of this work, and the emperor Ashoka set up what may be the world's first animal hospitals — his rock edicts record medical treatment arranged “for men and for animals”. Shalihotra Samhita, an ancient Indian text on horses, and Hastyayurveda, on elephants, are early veterinary treatises.
Q3.
What is the best way to take care of stray and abandoned animals? 1. Provide food and water for the animal 2. Take them to an animal shelter 3. Adopt them by taking them home. Give reasons for your responses.
Answer

All three are good, but they suit different situations. The honest answer is that no single option is best for every animal — you must match the response to the animal's condition.

OptionBest when…ReasonLimitation
1. Provide food and waterThe animal is healthy and settled in its own streetEasiest, safest and can be done daily by anyone; a fed street dog is calmer and less likely to biteDoes not help an injured or sick animal at all
2. Take them to an animal shelterThe animal is injured, ill, very young or in dangerOnly a shelter or SPCA has a veterinary doctor, medicines, sterilisation and vaccinationShelters are often crowded; call their helpline first
3. Adopt them by taking them homeYour family agrees and can care for the animal for its whole lifeGives one animal a permanent, secure home — the most complete help of allNever do it on impulse; an animal returned to the street is worse off than before
My response: I would begin with 1 for every stray in my lane — a bowl of clean water outside the gate costs nothing. The moment an animal is hurt or ill, I would move to 2 and phone the district SPCA. I would choose 3 only after asking everyone at home, because adoption is a promise for ten or fifteen years, not for a week.
Why it matters: Doctor Dolittle's success came from doing the right thing for that particular animal — spectacles for a half-blind horse, a tunnel for the mice. Caring for strays works the same way.
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