When Parul Shah’s German Shephard died some time back, it was sheer trauma for her family because they knew their pet wouldn’t get a decent resting place.
From garbage dumps to a cemetery, pets in the orange city will have dignity in death
NAGPUR: When Parul Shah’s German Shephard died some time back, it was sheer trauma for her family because they knew their pet wouldn’t get a decent resting place.
“It hurts when you don’t have a proper place to bury your pet, who’s been like a family member. For us it was a nightmare,” says the school teacher.
But other pet owners need not face the same trouble anymore with the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) planning to set up a burial ground exclusively for animals.
From the more common dogs and cats to even horses, the orange city has an estimated 50,000-plus pets, and close to 40,000 stray dogs.
And when a pet dies, most owners have no option but to steel themselves and throw the carcass away.
“We get calls every day from pet lovers wanting to know how they should dispose of carcasses. Either we bury the animals at our Bhandewadi waste disposal unit, or people just throw the carcasses into the open or in the sewage lines. This practice poses health hazards so we mooted the idea of setting up a cemetery for animals,” additional municipal commissioner Atul Patne told DNA on Friday.
Patne said pet owners can now feel relieved knowing their beloved companions have a final resting place.
“People object if you try to bury the carcass even in an open ground or area,” says Madhukar Palwankar, who owns a Dalmatian, adding the facility is a blessing.
Veterinarian Dr Hemant Jain, too welcomed the facility, saying it was a long-needed one. “It’s good that the civic authorities realised the need for it,” he said.
The facility will come up on a one-acre plot in the plush Ambazari locality. “We will not charge anything from pet owners, except for labour,” Patne said. If a pet owner decides to burn the carcass, he or she would have to bear the cost of firewood.
In Mumbai, the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA)-run pet hospital has an electric crematorium for animals.
“The crematorium was set up 10 years back for Rs23 lakh. Animals like dogs and cats can be cremated here,” said SPCA secretary Col JC Khanna.
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