10 Most Trusted Animal Shelters in Bengaluru

If you have a pet, you know that it’s more than just an animal for you. Your little furry friend represents a lot of emotion and love. Pets are an integral part of our families. But there are many animals out there that aren’t lucky enough to have a loving, safe home. Dogs and cats are often left on the street, sick and injured, with no one to take care of them. Thankfully, the situation is now changing. Many people are actively helping and rescuing animals and finding them permanent homes. And in the meantime, they provide them with medical care at animal shelters and hospitals. Here is a list of 10 trusted animal shelters in Bengaluru that ensure animals are well taken care of.

1. KRUPA Animal Hospital and Shelter

What started out as a hospital for dogs, now not only houses a large number of rescued canines, but also many cats. KRUPA is now a full-fledged animal hospital and shelter with a large number of dogs and cats. They rescue felines and canines that are injured and treat them until they are hale and hearty. Due to the increasing number of animals in the shelter, KRUPA is constantly on the lookout for individuals who could provide loving homes for these animals.

2. CUPA – Compassion Unlimited Plus Action

CUPA was the first-ever animal shelter of its kind in Bengaluru and was started by Ms. Crystal Rogers who relocated from Britain to India. It has six centers in the city and takes in injured animals to provide a secure environment for their healing and happiness. Some of the services provided are animal birth control, trauma and rescue, geriatric care and adoption facilities. They also provide foster care for your pets if you have to go away for a while. CUPA aims to educate students and adults about laws related to animal cruelty and spread awareness.

3. Charlie’s Animal Rescue Centre (CARE)

The inspiration to start CARE was Charlie, a 10-year-old, three-legged dog who has been a friend in need to differently-abled children, helping in their therapy for almost a decade. Despite having only three legs, Charlie is able to show unconditional love to children and that represents what pets are to us. As an extension of that feeling, a few like-minded individuals started CARE with the hope of rescuing and rehabilitating stray animals in Bengaluru city. Talk about animals teaching us humanity!

4. Karuna Animal Shelter

Karuna has been one of the most prominent animal welfare centers in Bengaluru for a while. Not only do they undertake animal rescue and rehabilitation, but they also provide education and awareness to people about how to take care of pets. They provide night emergency ambulance service, and a unique snake-care service, too—because all animals need care, no matter how poisonous and deadly!

5. People For Animals (PFA)

PFA directs all its actions towards the rescue and rehabilitation of ‘urban wildlife’ and is a non-profit organization that focuses its energies on conservation. The volunteers rescue and nurture injured animals, after which the animals are rehabilitated in their natural habitat. If you find anyone keeping wild animals illegally as pets at home or anyone involved in the illegal trading of pets, you can report them to the organization. PFA has also started India’s first pet cemetery, which means that residents of Bengaluru can now visit their deceased pets and their pay respects every now and then.

6. The Voice of Stray Dogs

‘The value of a stray’s life is simply that it is alive’—this is what makes the VOSD volunteers go out into the streets of Bengaluru to help animals in need. They strongly believe that animals deserve the same medical treatment, care and concern that human beings do, and no one must come in the way of that ideology. VOSD rescues injured animals and provides medical treatment. It also runs a program called VOSD Surrender in which people can surrender their pets forever at a nominal fee—however, it is recommended that patrons carefully evaluate all options before doing this as it exerts a lot of stress on the pet.

7. Animal Rahat Sanctuary

Animal Rahat Sanctuary offers rescue and rehabilitation to many animals, mainly working animals like donkeys, cows, bullocks, camels and horses. It teaches caretakers proper care and nutrition for the animals who are working and creates retirement plans when they become old. Not only this, they also act on calls where immediate vet services are required, even for animals like peacocks, tortoises, elephants, hyenas and snakes! Animal Rahat also provides homes for pet dogs and cats.

8. Animal Rights Fund

The main aim of Animal Rights Fund (ARF) is to collect funds to finance animal relief programs in the city. It acts as a mid-point for the collection of money and ensuring that the money reaches the animals that need it. ARF has, in the past, won legal battles to prevent the exploitation of animals in circuses. It also has a helpline for animal-related emergencies and a shelter for pets.

9. Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre

The Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (WRRC) is a charitable trust that was set up in 1999 to rescue and rehabilitate wild animals in cities and villages. These include birds, animals and reptiles. Services extended include medical treatment, sheltering and handling cases of cruelty towards these creatures. The flagship program of this organization is to conduct research and surveys on captive elephants in India. If you thought shelters were only for dogs and cats, think again!

10. Sarvodaya Sevabhavi Samstha

Sarvodaya Sevabhavi Samstha’s motto is ‘to save life, one animal at a time’. It was started by like-minded vets with a vision to rescue and treat injured animals. Along with this, they provide services for the adoption of pets. The most important project undertaken by them is their Animal Birth Control Program, by which they have successfully and safely sterilized many dogs across the city. They now get invites to conduct similar programs in other cities.

Animals deserve care, attention and pampering just like us humans do. Often, because of very tiresome work schedules, we cannot look beyond ourselves and our own needs. It is good to sometimes stop and check on our animal friends. Who knows, we might have stopped to help them but they could land up helping us in more ways that we thought possible?