In many part of the world, if there’s an animal in trouble, there’s someone to call to get help, Immediately. That’s not the case here for obvious reasons. We can barely take care of our humans… so expecting special treatment for animals is unrealistic.
Yes, there are numbers for Cupa, Care, the BBMP, other animal shelters, but there’s so much pressure on them with the number of domesticated, freely multiplying animals… that they cannot cope. You could end up waiting forever. The animal could be dead or disappear by the time someone shows up, to die somewhere else, out of sight. It’s tragic.
So it’s fallen on citizens, community by community to come together to create solutions for injured dogs and cats… and even the occasional snake who may find itself where it ought not to be.
So you will find specialist dog catchers, snake catchers, bird catchers. Rarely will you find one person who is all kinds of catcher rolled into one.
In Bangalore, Vikash Bafna is one such person whose heart is huge and there always seems to be room for one more dog, one more snake, one more pigeon, one more rodent, one more cat, one more buffalo to rescue.
As part of several animal squads and groups, Vikash Bafna. Vikash does this work for free. He has a trust called Friend For Animal Trust and will accept donations, if you want to give, but even if you don’t, he will come and take care of the eagle that’s stuck in the wires outside your building.