MADIKERI : Villagers of landslide-prone areas have fled the places fearing for their lives with just the clothes they were wearing. Their houses, property, belongings - everything is under the debris of landslides in many affected areas. However, a few four-legged beings have managd to escape the wrath of nature and are in desperate need of food, if not rescue. Tending to the needs of the animals are 20 volunteers from CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action), Bengaluru.
“Our team landed in Kodagu on Tuesday and we are carrying search operations for cattle and other pets in the district,” explained Shilpa, one of the volunteers.
Being offered a spacious campus for the rehabilitation of animals by Ashraf, she adds, “Ashraf, a farmer has extended generosity by lending his land for rehabilitation of rescued animals. We are also receiving immense help from the locals around the area.” Their rehabilitation centre is located at Bylakuppe near Kushalnagar.
After many trials and error, the team is trekking through the devastated, inaccessible areas of villages and collecting information on stranded animals. “After observing the area, we map out a route for two-wheelers to enter the spot and small pets are rescued. For cattle, we are identifying jeep routes so that we could get them back to our centre,” she said.They are sheltering 23 animals at their centre and they hope to reunite them with their families. “Once the terrains are repaired, we would like to identify their families and reunite them,” she said.