BENGALURU: On the occasion of International Dog Day on Saturday, several NGOs in the city have complained of an increase in trauma cases of pets and a gradual decline in adoption numbers.
Activists want the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to have 24 X 7 open government hospitals so that if any strays are poisoned, they can be identified immediately through post-mortem.
Toni Freer, the founder of Haven Animal Welfare Trust spoke to TNIE and said, “When strays are poisoned, it is mostly done at night. The body starts to decompose in the next 12 hours. If we have to catch the culprits we need cold storage facilities and an emergency response team.”
Emphasising pet traumas, rescuers also want a toll-free number where issues of pet abandonment, poisoning, and abuse can be reported. They opined that there is very little support from the government to save strays in the city. Another activist said that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) should push for appointing specific people in police stations so that animal trauma cases are not ignored.
Lack of funds overburden shelter homes
A dog rescuer in the city reported that 15 dogs were abandoned recently, some tied to poles and left on roads, however, NGOs and individuals running shelters stopped enrolling pets in the shelter homes as they lack funds and the homes are highly overburdened.
Lakshmi Gowda a dog rescuer who founded Pet Adoption Bangalore Trust said, “We see around 15-20 trauma cases every day. We want to help them but we are dependent on crowdfunding. Currently, we are in a financial crunch and have pending hospital bills in lakhs.”
Most of the pet NGOs report that they face the same ordeal. Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) which witnesses 150-200 trauma cases in a month is unable to accommodate any more dogs. Charlies Animal Rescue Centre (CARE) is another NGO that provides medical aid to injured animals. Speaking to TNIE, Keerthan RP, the manager of CARE said, “Because of lack of space, we are unable to foster any more pets that are comparatively healthy. We are looking at only trauma cases and their immediate treatment.”
Every dog has its day!
To celebrate International Dog Day meaningfully, Augie a pet store based out of Bengaluru has planned to provide free premium dog food called Annamaet, imported from the USA to 500 stray dogs in the city. The store has tied up with several rescuers and dog NGOs to give out the food on Saturday. The cost of Annamaet varies between Rs 900-1400 per kg.