Animal hospital facelift

A major facelift, estimated to cost about Rs 36 lakhs, is under way at the Bai Sakarbai Dinshaw Petit Hospital for Animals at Parel. Thanks to help from donors, the Bombay Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), which runs the Hospital, is revamping the premises to suit the needs of the animals with the addition of a newly designed cattle shed and aviary. The Animal Birth Control Ward too has been given a new look.

The cattle shed, one of the major projects undertaken at an estimated cost of Rs 18 lakh, can house over 50 animals. The Bombay Gaurakshak Trust was invited to visit the Hospital in 2008. "We approached the Trust as it was not easy to raise the entire amount for repairs. They saw the shed and sanctioned (the amount),” said Lt Col (Retd) J. C. Khanna, secretary of the BSPCA. The shed, which houses cattle brought in for treatment, was constructed over a century ago and was in bad shape, its wood eaten by white ants and with the plaster peeling. "The cows used to lick the loose plaster, which is unhealthy,” Khanna informed Mumbai Mirror (MM) dated February 19, 2009. The pest control work is now over. The new ward will have a roof with transparent tiles to let sunlight in, and a storage room for food. The cattle will be housed in a tail-to-tail manner to prevent infection that can spread if their heads are in close proximity, MM reports.

Twelve lakh rupees have been expended to redo the aviary which will have separate cages for birds, as well as some additional ones for monkeys and rabbits "keeping in mind the characteristic behavior of these animals and birds while they are undergoing treatment,” hospital manager of BSPCA Dr Yuvraj Kaginkar told MM. At present the cages house injured barn owls, kites, koels, pigeons and parrots, he said.

The Animal Birth Control Ward, where stray dogs are brought in for sterilization by the Bombay Municipal Corporation, has been revamped at a cost of six lakh rupees. Many additional kennels have been created for dogs and a separate area has now been provided to treat sick cats. The operation theater has been upgraded as part of the renovation work, MM concludes.