By Aratrika Dey
‘Nandi’ as he has been endearingly named, was rescued by the residents of HSR Layout. On November 26, resident Prabha Bhaktaram found him bleeding profusely around his head. It was right in front of her house in Sector 4, and she immediately took action.
“I started making calls to CUPA (Compassion Unlimited Plus Action), an animal rescue organisation, and tried to schedule a rescue and pickup of this bull to their centre,” recalls Prabha. However, CUPA got back to her saying that they would not be able to take in an animal so large into their shelter, which is already at full capacity. Meanwhile, the residents of the area applied turmeric powder on the wound and tried other methods to reduce the intensity of the wounds, but the bleeding did not stop.
CUPA stepped in
Even though CUPA were unable to take Nandi to their shelter, they offered to provide treatment for the bull on location. They required coordination with a bovine expert team, and this is where cow rescue expert Upendra Kumar and his team volunteered to help. CUPA returned with a confirmation on November 31, saying that they have finalized all arrangements for Nandi’s treatment. However, they will be needing a permission letter from the local police station and require the presence of an official on the prescribed date of Nandi’s treatment.
The bull was wounded quite badly
“I reached out to others who were trying to call different agencies individually to get Nandi treated and created one WhatsApp group,” Prabha told Residents Watch. The members included Priyanka Gopal, Manasi Vasudev, Nalini Deepak Ullal and Shabbir Syed, President, Sector 4 Residents Welfare Association.
Prabha, Manasi and Nalini procured the permission letter from the HSR Layout police station and the treatment was scheduled on the morning of December 2. The professionals from CUPA with the help of Upendra’s team worked on Nandi. “We were horrified by the extent of his wound,” recalls Prabha. “It was completely infested with maggots. Nandi must have been in a lot of pain for weeks.”
Residents are continuously medicating the bull
After the experts made sure they covered it all, Nandi was released into the streets. Post-treatment care was explained to Prabha, Priyanka, Nalini, and Manasi. One antibiotic tablet a day and a regular application of an antiseptic spray and powder to treat the wound was prescribed by the doctor.
A rescue boy from Upendra’s team, Monish Kumar, a resident of HSR Layout, promised to help the residents with Nandi’s care. From December 3 onwards, Prabha and her team with the guidance of Monish and Upendra have been tracking Nandi and locating him every day to ensure that he is given the requisite medicines, antiseptic spray and powder.
Fund-raising for animal welfare
Prabha and her team reached out to people on the Sector 4 RWA Whatsapp group and proposed the idea of collecting funds to contribute to CUPA and Upendra’s team as a token of thanks. The response was instant, and they were able to collect Rs 15,001. A decision was made to divide the collected donation between CUPA and Amrut Dhara Gaushala on Kanakapura Road which is struggling to take care of 450 cows. The organisation was recommended by Upendra when he refused to accept the contribution. The book-keeping for the donations was handled by Prabha herself as donations were made through online transfers. Prabha summed up the story: “I strongly believe that a community’s prosperity is measured by how well it treats the living animals around it.”
