JOIN USPet cemetery is costly
One of the difficulties that pet parents in the city face is to bury the bodies of their furry friends when they have crossed the rainbow bridge. While some can afford to bury them in their own backyard, many apartment residents don’t have the luxury of doing that.
Thankfully, there are some dedicated burial grounds that parents can opt for, including the one run by the BBMP. However, all these come with a heavy price.
PIC COURTESY: BBMP
Government-run crematorium
BBMP’s electric crematorium is located in Sumanahalli. Pet parents can also take the ashes of their furry pals back the next day. That being one of the cheapest options, less than Rs 1,000 for cremation and collecting the ashes the next day, is what many are opting for.
The centre is operational only between 10 am to 5 pm and does not have freezer box. This is a problem many pet parents and animal welfare volunteers face.
Many NGOs are unable to afford this amount as they lose a minimum of two to three pets a day. “Spending close to Rs 1,000 for every pet we lose is not affordable for an organisation like ours. While we are happy that the BBMP has something for the furry friends, we wish there were some concessions,” a representative from an NGO who did not wish to be named.
Burial grounds
There are also some private burial grounds in the city. Some prefer People For Animals (PFA) Wildlife Hospital in Uttarahalli and Whispering Kennel in Kothanur to bury their pets.
As PFA is a hospital for wildlife, they charge a donation amount to run the institution.
Charges begin from Rs 5,500 per year for the burial and maintenance of a normal grave. It’s Rs 20,000 for three years and Rs 30,000 for five years, which comes with a larger space (respectively) and tombstone.
Roadside spots
Many times, animal activists cannot take these animals to a burial ground or cremate them. Volunteer Suma (name changed) says, “We usually find empty space or bury the four-legged animal on the road. It’s not always possible to find the right spot.”
team plant trees with the pets’ ashes.
Planting pets’ ashes
Law student Pramodh Chandrashekar started an initiative ‘Last Ripple’ earlier this year where he helps plant pots and trees using the ashes of the pets.
“When the animals are cremated, they get in touch with our volunteer group, post which we help them plant a pot or tree,” explains Pramodh. Since everyone cannot plant a tree, most parents go for pot plantation. So far, they have helped 25 families, nine of which were tree plantations.
Explaining the process, Pramodh says, “It’s a hollow cylinder where we first add the ashes, then a disk on top of it. We add the nutrition-rich soil on top of the disk and plant the seed. For pot plantation, many either prefer a bonsai or hibiscus. For a tree, it’s mostly a fruit or berry-bearing tree.”
The price varies from Rs 3,500 (for planting system), Rs 5,000 (comes with ceramic pot and the team will take care of the plant for a year) and Rs 9,000 (for customisation like spreading the ashes in multiple pots and more).
Common concerns
The BBMP crematory should be open for more hours.
There should be a freezer box system for pets who cannot be cremated the same day.
Concession for NGOs to use the government-run crematory as they lose a large number of animals every day.
Open more centres and make it accessible.