<p>Barkha Kumari</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since heavy rains pounded Bengaluru earlier this week, animal welfare NGOs and volunteers have reported puppies and kittens being washed away, community dogs displaced from their packs, and baby birds fallen to the ground. Five cattle died in R R Nagar zone because of the rising water level, according to BBMP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With more rain expected, they urge citizens to offer temporary shelter and food to strays, as flooded roads and limited space for shelter make rescues more difficult during the wet season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cold and broken</p>.<p class="bodytext">Compared to the past week, PFA (People for Animals) Wildlife Hospital on Uttarahalli Main Road saw a 10% <br />rise in snake-related rescue calls and a 25% spike for birds, especially from Rajajinagar, R R Nagar, and Vijayanagar. Col Dr Navaz Shariff, its chief wildlife veterinarian, said: “Due to fallen trees, we found many myna and barbet chicks, black kite nestlings, squirrel babies, and even three grey hornbill nests on the ground. We rescued six black kites and four crows — house and jungle — with fractured wings.” These birds will need about 45 days of recovery before they can return to the wild.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE) in Yelahanka reported a 40% surge in calls to help stray dogs trapped in drains, behind walls, or stranded on small strips of land in waterlogged areas. Despite flooding and traffic snarls, their rescue team was able to attend to almost all distress calls as they are equipped with specialised equipment and gear.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We brought in six pups and some injured older dogs. Only one had mild hypothermia,” said its founder Sudha Narayanan. The animals will be released once the weather clears. Most cases were from Whitefield, Sarjapur and Hennur. In two incidents in J P Nagar, her team guided callers by phone to safely retrieve frightened cats.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dr Nagesh Reddy, chief veterinary consultant at a city hospital, said 4–5 hypothermic puppies were brought in on Monday and Tuesday. Puppies and older dogs, he explained, struggle during rains as they can’t access higher, drier places.</p>.<p class="bodytext">One of the older dogs cared for by animal welfare activist Manjari Chaitanya Colaco collapsed due to cold and is currently hospitalised. She is also fostering a kitten from a rain-stricken litter after 3–4 of its siblings died.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Coordinated effort</p>.<p class="bodytext">Faced with distance, power cuts, limited space and food, NGOs and volunteers coordinated with each other as a network. They relayed messages about crying birds or unfamiliar strays to direct the nearest centre for rescue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though Praana Animal Foundation in Kumaraswamy Layout is a cat shelter, its team rescued four injured dogs and transferred them to other NGOs. Meanwhile, Vikash A Bafna’s Friend for Animal Trust in Yelahanka, which <br />handles only severely injured or sick strays, built cardboard shelters for distressed strays at 5–6 locations after receiving alerts. In one case, he took in a mother dog with a leg injury along with her litter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even animals already in care centres faced a tough time. Safescape Foundation, a rehabilitation and adoption <br />centre near Chandapura, was inundated. As a result, over 70 resident dogs had to be moved from their enclosures to kitchens, office spaces, and staff quarters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Power outages ruined frozen food supplies, and waterlogging delayed rescue efforts for community dogs. By the time the team reached a stranded litter of six, one pup had drowned in a gutter, said trustee-founder Samruddhi Pande.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To brace for the monsoon, her NGO plans to improve drainage, stock dry food, and boost generator capacity on the premises.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sadhana Hegde, another welfare volunteer, urged citizens not to block gutters or drainage pipes to drive away strays. “This limits their shelter options during the rains,” she explained.</p>.<p>WHAT CITIZENS CAN DO </p>.<p>Let strays into patios, gardens or garages; provide warmth using cardboard boxes, blankets, gunny bags, cotton or newspaper. </p>.<p><br />One can also move them to a dry spot during the rain until help arrives </p>.<p><br />Don’t force-feed water to birds. Leave a bowl nearby for voluntary drinking. </p>.<p><br />If a snake wanders in, stay still and give it an escape route. </p>.<p><br />Call for help: BBMP (1533) or organisations like CARE (96060 75559), PFA Wildlife Hospital (99803 39880), CUPA (98454 25678), Praana (91088 19998).</p>.<p>(*Shared by volunteers)</p>
<p>Barkha Kumari</p>.<p class="bodytext">Since heavy rains pounded Bengaluru earlier this week, animal welfare NGOs and volunteers have reported puppies and kittens being washed away, community dogs displaced from their packs, and baby birds fallen to the ground. Five cattle died in R R Nagar zone because of the rising water level, according to BBMP.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With more rain expected, they urge citizens to offer temporary shelter and food to strays, as flooded roads and limited space for shelter make rescues more difficult during the wet season.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Cold and broken</p>.<p class="bodytext">Compared to the past week, PFA (People for Animals) Wildlife Hospital on Uttarahalli Main Road saw a 10% <br />rise in snake-related rescue calls and a 25% spike for birds, especially from Rajajinagar, R R Nagar, and Vijayanagar. Col Dr Navaz Shariff, its chief wildlife veterinarian, said: “Due to fallen trees, we found many myna and barbet chicks, black kite nestlings, squirrel babies, and even three grey hornbill nests on the ground. We rescued six black kites and four crows — house and jungle — with fractured wings.” These birds will need about 45 days of recovery before they can return to the wild.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE) in Yelahanka reported a 40% surge in calls to help stray dogs trapped in drains, behind walls, or stranded on small strips of land in waterlogged areas. Despite flooding and traffic snarls, their rescue team was able to attend to almost all distress calls as they are equipped with specialised equipment and gear.</p>.<p class="bodytext">“We brought in six pups and some injured older dogs. Only one had mild hypothermia,” said its founder Sudha Narayanan. The animals will be released once the weather clears. Most cases were from Whitefield, Sarjapur and Hennur. In two incidents in J P Nagar, her team guided callers by phone to safely retrieve frightened cats.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Dr Nagesh Reddy, chief veterinary consultant at a city hospital, said 4–5 hypothermic puppies were brought in on Monday and Tuesday. Puppies and older dogs, he explained, struggle during rains as they can’t access higher, drier places.</p>.<p class="bodytext">One of the older dogs cared for by animal welfare activist Manjari Chaitanya Colaco collapsed due to cold and is currently hospitalised. She is also fostering a kitten from a rain-stricken litter after 3–4 of its siblings died.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Coordinated effort</p>.<p class="bodytext">Faced with distance, power cuts, limited space and food, NGOs and volunteers coordinated with each other as a network. They relayed messages about crying birds or unfamiliar strays to direct the nearest centre for rescue.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Though Praana Animal Foundation in Kumaraswamy Layout is a cat shelter, its team rescued four injured dogs and transferred them to other NGOs. Meanwhile, Vikash A Bafna’s Friend for Animal Trust in Yelahanka, which <br />handles only severely injured or sick strays, built cardboard shelters for distressed strays at 5–6 locations after receiving alerts. In one case, he took in a mother dog with a leg injury along with her litter.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Even animals already in care centres faced a tough time. Safescape Foundation, a rehabilitation and adoption <br />centre near Chandapura, was inundated. As a result, over 70 resident dogs had to be moved from their enclosures to kitchens, office spaces, and staff quarters.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Power outages ruined frozen food supplies, and waterlogging delayed rescue efforts for community dogs. By the time the team reached a stranded litter of six, one pup had drowned in a gutter, said trustee-founder Samruddhi Pande.</p>.<p class="bodytext">To brace for the monsoon, her NGO plans to improve drainage, stock dry food, and boost generator capacity on the premises.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Sadhana Hegde, another welfare volunteer, urged citizens not to block gutters or drainage pipes to drive away strays. “This limits their shelter options during the rains,” she explained.</p>.<p>WHAT CITIZENS CAN DO </p>.<p>Let strays into patios, gardens or garages; provide warmth using cardboard boxes, blankets, gunny bags, cotton or newspaper. </p>.<p><br />One can also move them to a dry spot during the rain until help arrives </p>.<p><br />Don’t force-feed water to birds. Leave a bowl nearby for voluntary drinking. </p>.<p><br />If a snake wanders in, stay still and give it an escape route. </p>.<p><br />Call for help: BBMP (1533) or organisations like CARE (96060 75559), PFA Wildlife Hospital (99803 39880), CUPA (98454 25678), Praana (91088 19998).</p>.<p>(*Shared by volunteers)</p>