Over 200 animals rescued from illegal pet shop

Udupi: After learning about the deplorable conditions in which animals of varied species were confined at an illegal facility named Animal Rescue Centre in Saligrama, a joint operation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PeTA) India, the Udupi Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), the animal husbandry department, Saligrama town panchayat, forest department, and Kota police station was lauched against the centre, resulting in the rescue of over 200 animals.
The efforts followed the SPCA meeting held under the chairmanship of the deputy commissioner (DC) and district magistrate of Udupi. Based on the decision taken in the Udupi SPCA meeting, a closure and clearance order was issued by the animal husbandry and veterinary services department chief officer of town panchayat, Saligrama. The rescue operations were conducted on Jan 11 and Feb 12, on the centre run by Sudhindra Aithal, stated a PeTA release.
The rescued animals included species protected under Schedule I, II, and IV of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA), 1972, along with pedigree dogs, Persian cats, Indian dogs, pups, and kittens, as well as non-native endangered species such as Java sparrows, finches, sugar gliders, hedgehogs, white rats, and Australian red-yellow parrots. The forest department also acted on PeTA India's complaint to the principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife) and chief wildlife warden, Karnataka, and raided the facility on Jan 7.
All the animals were confined in cramped metal cages, with faeces piling up underneath. The cages were filthy, rusty, and had sharp edges, with no bedding, food, or water bowls. It appeared that the faeces were left untouched for months, creating intolerable living conditions for the animals, which developed various diseases and infections like canine distemper, parvovirus, scabies, anaemia, maggot wounds, paralysis, and respiratory disorders. The majority of the animals were severely dehydrated and weak, had viral infections, eye discharge, lesions, and tick infestations, and were found in extremely poor health, PeTA noted.
The rescued animals have now been rehabilitated to various facilities after receiving necessary medical care.