The Animal Electric Crematorium near Sumanahalli is the only one and cannot handle the rush.
The only Bruhat Bengaluru MahanagaraPalike (BBMP) Animal Electric Crematorium, near Sumanahalli has to deal with a large numbers of animals brought for disposal. Officials say that they dealt with about 700 cases last month.
Abhilash, in charge at BBMP Animal Electric Crematorium, mentioned that it becomes difficult to deal with the rush as there is only one crematorium center and the number of animals including small and big ones is increasing. “Both pets and roadkill animal cases come for cremation,” he said.
It is the number of pets that are brought for cremation that is more on the rise. In the case of roadkill, the BBMP ward Area Health Inspector deal with it and do not always bring it to the cremation centre. Abhilash said, “BBMP officials sometimes contact rag pickers in case of roadkill animals and tell them to carry it to BBMP Animal Electric Crematorium.” In the case of pet animals, their owners bring the pets directly or veterinary hospitals contact them for the cremation, said Abhilash.
People find it difficult to cremate their pets. Many people do not even know about the Animal Electric Crematorium, and those who do, might find it difficult to get there. Rakhi Jaishankar, a pet owner, said that she had no idea of the crematorium.
As there are fewer facilities for cremation, some NGOs provide space for pet parents to bury their pets. The manager of Krupa Loving Animals said that they bury all of their animals on site.
Srinivasa, an animal attendant from People for Animals (PFA), saidall rescued animals were treated and after rehabilitation, were set free again. In case of death, no cremation facilities are available in PFA either, so they bury them instead. Srinivasa mentioned that, their main source of income comes from burial of animals, mainly pets.
PFA divides the burial process into categories. In the ordinary category, the land will be re-used for another pet after a year, while in the special category, an animal graveyard is constructed and the land will be re-used after three years.
Dr. Shaswath, a private veterinarian, raised his concerns over facilities at the animal crematorium. He said that transportation of large animals is difficult and getting crane facilities can be challenging. “India is lagging behind Europe and the United States, in terms of pet disposal facilities,” Dr. Shaswath said.
Setting up a cremation center for animals means manpower and financial resources and that, says Dr. Shaswath is a problem. “One of the main reasons is cost and the government does not support much in terms of animal care,” he said.
According to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, crematory facilities should be put in place by the municipal government to dispose of dead animals.
