Rehab centre for animals will soon be a reality

The long-pending demand for the construction of a rehabilitation centre in the city for abandoned animals, will be a reality soon as the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has already identified five acres of land at Rayanakere to set up a rehabilitation centre for stray dogs, cattle, horses and other animals.

The MCC has given administrative approval for the project and the tender process is under way. The project will be taken up at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.

This project will put an end to the stray animal menace, which has turned rampant in the city. It may be mentioned that a 55-year-old woman died after a stray horse attacked her in Gayathripuram recently. A youth was also bitten by a horse near the Mysuru Law Court complex a few days before the incident. MCC has expedited the process after receiving several complaints on stray dogs and cattle on the street, posing threat to the vehicular riders and causing inconvenience.

As the Reaching Out to Animals (ROTA) centre in Bogadi, managed by People For Animals (PFA), has no space to accommodate the increasing population of stray animals, the administration has planned to construct a rehabilitation centre. The centre will have a clinic to treat the animals and separate centres for operation, post-operative care, and animal behaviour observation. The animals will be separated with partitions. The rehabilitation centre will be managed by the MCC’s veterinary department.

Dr S C Suresh, Assistant Director, Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services of MCC said, the rehabilitation centre will be for the abandoned animals. Animal lovers and the public have been demanding it.

There are such rehabilitation centres for abandoned animals in many cities across the country.

The project will be completed by the year 2020. The centre, with all facilities, can house more than 500 animals, he added.