High burial cost strains pet parents in Bengaluru

The only BBMP animal crematorium in Bengaluru has been dysfunctional for over two months, say animal activists, rescuers, and feeders. This has forced them to opt for burial, which involves a steep cost. Some are forced to bury their pets in farms and friends’ gardens. 

The cost for burial is upwards of Rs 2,000, while the BBMP crematorium charged a fee of Rs 800 for dogs and Rs 300 for cats.

In December 2024, the BBMP revealed it had identified two plots of land — in Yelahanka and Dasarahalli — to set up electric crematoria for pets. 

On Thursday, Vikas Suralkar Kishor, BBMP Special Commissioner (Health & Animal Husbandry), told Metrolife that instead they plan to invite tenders to set up smaller but multiple crematoria across the city. The Sumanahalli crematorium is currently undergoing repairs, as the exhaust pipe has collapsed. Some animal rights activists say that it will be 4-5 months before it reopens.

Swayambhu Soham, a community animal caretaker, found that on average 100 animal deaths are reported from each of six major animal hospitals in Bengaluru every month. “This does not include the deaths that go unreported,” Swayambhu points out.

Shelters bear brunt

Sujaya Jagadish, an animal welfare volunteer, notes that animal shelters are home to 200-300 animals — mostly dogs and cats. “I’m sure there are a significant number of deaths per day. I wonder where they are cremated or buried,”
she says.

At Friend for Animal Trust, Yelahanka, an animal shelter, 10-20 dogs die per month. Most of the animals they take in are badly injured or come with age-related health problems. “We are shelling out Rs 2,000-Rs 3,000 per dog. It adds up to Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per month,” shares Vikash Bafna, founder. 

Rekha Vijaykumar, a resident of Yelahanka, lost her 20-year-old cat earlier this week and had to spend Rs 10,000 for the burial. “I have lost multiple pets before, but because of the BBMP crematorium, I was able to finish the cremation at a cost of under Rs 1,000 earlier,” she tells Metrolife. 

Unable to make the Rs 10,000 payment, Prashanth N, who lives in Malleswaram, was forced to drive 80 km to bury his dog in a friend’s farm last month. 

Safe burial

Shahid Wasim, a veterinarian with 19 years of experience, explains that it is okay to bury an animal on private land not earmarked for burial “as long as it is properly disposed of and it did not die of a serious infectious disease like anthrax, tuberculosis or brucellosis”.

“The pit must be three feet deep, so that no other animal digs it up and eats the carcass. It is advisable to cover the body with salt (which acts as a disinfectant) before covering it with mud,” Wasim says. 

Pramila Vincent, who looks after community dogs in and around Richmond Road, shares that the BBMP helpline (1533) is effective for when dogs die. “We cover them in plastic and keep them on the side of the road. After receiving a call, the volunteers come and collect the dog. But we do not know where they are taken and whether they are cremated or buried. Three dogs died last month and this is how we handled their remains,” she reveals.

In the meantime, Rotary Bangalore Sadashivnagar is setting up an organisation specifically to find solutions for the burial and cremation of dead animals. It is called Prani Mitra, says Alagappa Eshwarappa Shashidhar, one of its members.