Meet Qaium: An unapologetic dog whisperer

On a Tuesday afternoon, Md Abdul Qaium held one end of a bamboo stick at the sunny St Martins beach. Someone else held the other end, as the water in a paint container tied to the bamboo sloshed while they carried it. 

A bad time for a video call, perhaps. "It's alright. We are getting water for the dogs. I can speak now," Qaium reassured me on 25 February. 

Sitting at a nearby tong under a small shed, escaping the scorching heat, Qaium shared the story of his St. Martin's initiative. "We cook about 150kg of food daily and provide it to the dogs," he said. "Our work is posted on my profile."

His profile is filled with pictures of him and his team stirring massive pots of food, making sure the island's dogs are well-fed. One of the more recent posts captures a wholesome moment—Qaium running into the water on a moonlit night, with several dogs excitedly following him. The post garnered a lot of traction.

With 871,000 followers on Facebook, Qaium's blue tick verified profile has grown quite a following. "I opened this account only about a year and a half ago when I actively started to post my activities. Earlier, I just went and rescued a dog [barring active social media engagement]." 

While Qaium first started to actively rescue dogs in the capital in 2017, he was working with six volunteers (at the time of our call) who came from all across the country to feed the St Martin's island's dogs — who heavily relied on the tourists for their food. However, a nine-month tourist restriction on St Martin's Island has been imposed, which came into effect on 1 February 2025. 

Qauim in St Martins

According to Qauim, there are around 2,200 dogs on the island. "The locals aren't too concerned about the dogs' well-being," he observed. Then, almost in the same breath, he added, "How can that be? Just a few days ago, during one of our feeding shifts, an elderly woman came up to me asking for some of the dog food. Can you imagine?"

Qaium, who also goes by his nickname Prince, earlier went to St Martins in November last year. Then he went with a 12-member volunteer team and crowdfunded money to feed the dogs. "We stayed for a few days, and we left when we ran out of food because we ran out of money."

Qaium posted footage of a dog being eaten by other dogs. "Something needs to be done for them. It is desperation out here," he exclaimed, noting the outbreak of the Arbovirus, which is also killing many dogs. He estimated the dog population has come down from 4,000 in the recent past. 

Now with the tourism restriction in place, he sighed, "Even more dogs will perish."

This time, Qaium said he was able to bring a crowdfunded Tk3 lakh and a volunteer team of seven people, including himself. "This is not sustainable. How many times do you think people will answer a donation call? Once, yes, twice maybe. The same person will hardly donate again to the same cause," he lamented, pointing out to a smaller volunteer team for St Martins initiative. 

Qaium has a simple proposition. Nine animal welfare organisations can take responsibility for feeding the dogs for one month a year at St Martin's, "Only nine organisations, one for each month of the nine-month tourism restriction here. That's it!" he said. 

At some point during the video call, Qaium had taken off his gamcha-like cloth he covered his head with and lit a cigarette. 

The heat here is extraordinary, he described. "The weather isn't kind to outsiders. It gets crazy windy at night, and during the day, we're practically burning." Lifting his arm and tugging at the hem of his t-shirt, he added, "See the difference in my skin tone?"

But despite the harsh conditions, he stays—for the dogs. "They don't leave us. At the resort, there are always around 20 standing guard," he said, flipping his phone's camera. "Look, I'm surrounded by a few right now, but they're not doing too well."

A group of sitting dogs came into view, one looked up to Qaium like a child would to a parent perhaps. Others, a little further, rested. 

Qaium also mentioned the backlash he faced on social media from animal welfare organisations for damaging the environment for his St Martins initiative. Also, many questioned his intentions, the cost, etc, on social media.  

"They should all come and see for themselves. I urge all the established animal welfare organisations to come here and look at the dogs' conditions," he said.

For now, Qaium remains unapologetic and steadfast in his work.  

Additionally, he is also trying to get in touch with the Environment Advisor, Rezwana Syeda Rizwana Hasan, through the concerned secretary to discuss the islands' dogs. "I am hopeful there will be a meeting soon," he said.

Photo caption: Qauim has so far rescued over 7,000 dogs, the majority across the capital. Photo: Courtesy

Qaium left St Martins on 1 March and returned to Dhaka. Since then, he said he has treated 22 dogs across the capital — some of which have been posted on his social media handle. 

Beyond the islands

Qaium arrived on the islands in late February, right after back-to-back rescue trips to Chandpur and Rangpur—both for the same heartbreaking reason. "It was a dog stuck in plastic," he explained. "They get their heads trapped while searching for food in containers. I've responded to many calls like this before."

Despite the scale of his work, Qaium doesn't have a personal assistant. Whether in the capital or elsewhere, he operates alone. The only exception is his St Martin's initiative.

Most of the time, his rescues are a one-man operation. "When I go in, I just hand my phone to someone nearby and ask them to record whatever I'm doing." 

At 28 years old, the Government Bangla College graduate looked like he aged slightly compared to our first meeting in late 2021, for a different animal rescue story. 

At the time, Qaium was working with Animal Rescuers Bangladesh (ARB), an animal rescue service, and he took a gap year from his studies. "Soon after, I went back to college and finished in 2022, but never stopped rescues." 

Qaium parted ways with ARB and started to work on his own about two years ago. "I could have focused on my father's business (of tobacco and cement), or I could have focused on my studies or could have gotten a job and by now secure a hefty fixed income…but I keep coming back to the dogs, to chasing dogs. It's just how it is."

Qauim's dream of building a dog shelter is underway in the capital and scheduled to become operational by Eid. He also plans to settle down soon. 

Qauim acknowledged his parents' support, allowing him to walk this path. "I remember seeing my father feeding dogs in Lalmonirhat. He inspired me. In fact, he still does it now (in Dhaka)."

In 2021, Qaium cited his personal best rescue stats as "97 dogs in nine days" and quickly added how it's not sustainable. He did not break his own record. 

With the shelter up on its feet, will you stop going out to rescue dogs? "I might," Qaium chuckled, then repeated, "Might scale back, but I could never stop. It's an addiction now. I have to keep going," he said with a determined smile.

According to his count, Qauim rescued over 7,000 dogs, the majority across the capital.