The lack of infrastructure at CUPA affects animal treatment

Published on September 24, 2022 by Aastha Chopra

The lack of infrastructure at CUPA affects animal treatment.

The animal welfare organisation Compassion Unlimited Plus Action CUPA says it does not have the resources to meet the demand for animal rescue.

By Aastha Chopra

BANGALORE, Sep 22’2022

Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (CUPA) trauma center treats only ten percent per day due to the lack of infrastructure. The shelter has a capacity to treat 60 animals whereas the cases received are nearly double. CUPA receives 50 calls per day, but they are not able to cater to all the calls, instead, they are able to answer three to five calls per day.

Mr. Ajay Arjun, The Project Head of CUPA said, “The major challenge faced by animal welfare organisations is lack of basic infrastructure. We have 60 or 70 kennels and the number of calls we get in a day is 50-100.” This can be your second paragraph.

CUPA is a recognised private organisation registered under the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). CUPA is known for its immediate help for sick and injured animals across the city. CUPA has eight centers taking up different animal cases like small animals, big animals, and wildlife out of which five are situated in Bangalore.

CUPA does not have enough animal kennels to keep injured and treated animals separately. Whenever there is an emergency, the CUPA center tries to accommodate around 110 animals. In addition, having only two ambulances due to a lack of parking spaces forces the hospital to take only three cases out of 50 per day.

The ambulance driver of CUPA said, “we are unable to reach every location on time as we lack sufficient ambulances and time.”

According to the central manager of CUPA, Mr. Lokesh, the government has provided 230 ambulances to the government hospitals, but they are not effectively utilised as all the veterinarian hospitals lack manpower. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) registers cases regarding sterilisation, rabies, and dog biting but it does not take trauma cases as they lack manpower. Despite insufficient infrastructure, the government hospitals divert their trauma cases to CUPA hospitals.

A report says that the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has to provide financial assistance to recognised Animal Welfare Organisations like CUPA. According to the central manager, these funds are not provided to them, and in turn, they ask the NGOs to provide their services for free. This is not possible without any incentives.

The Project Head of CUPA, Mr. Ajay explained, “Insufficient funds, lack of infrastructure, time, and no support from the government have led to inadequate facilities provided to us. We get an overwhelming response from the public, where the public wants to help the animal in distress, but we as an organisation fail to cater to all the requests due to lack of infrastructure. Unfortunately, we don’t have that many animal welfare organisations running trauma centers, there are many few in Bangalore city. we have to focus on existing animals in shelters.’’

The CUPA veterinary hospital in Ulsoor handles entire Bangalore. According to the central manager, if the government provides sufficient support, the hospital would be able to provide better treatment. Experts say that funding is the main issue for Animal Welfare Organisations, hence they lack infrastructure. The recognised Animal Welfare Organisations should apply for different schemes launched by AWBI.