Bengaluru’s new initiative to protect animals and animal lovers

Bengaluru is a home to thousands of community animals. As per Greater Bengaluru Authority (previously BBMP) 2023 report, there are 2.79 community dogs in the city. Other animals like birds and cats are also in good population. The city is not new to animal welfare and yet it sees animal lovers facing challenges on the daily basis.

Challenges animal lovers face in bengaluru

• Constant Harassment and Threats: Animal feeders, especially women, are harassed and threatened regularly. It includes verbal humiliation, derogatory stares, getting photographed and/or filmed, or sometimes physical threats like getting hit or sprayed on with harmful chemicals.
• Lack of Designated Feeding Spots: Despite the supreme court order, the local authorities have been slow to mark feeding spots. Lack of proper designated areas has left feeders scrambling to find balance between their love for animal welfare and follow legal framework.
• Lack of Support From Local Authorities: Animal lovers often report that local authorities such as police refuses to file the First Information Report (FIR) in cases of animal abuse or harassment.
• Conflicts with RWAs and Residents: Resident Welfare Associations and residents try to stop feeders and harass them for doing so. They put illegal bans in common areas. RWAs also pressurise property owners to evict tenants who are animal lovers and are involved in animal welfare activities such as animal rescue, feeding, etc.
• Financial and Logistical Burdens: Animal feeders often have to take the responsibility of vaccination and sterilization of community animals. It puts them under financial and logistical burdens.
• Lack of Awareness on Animal Welfare and Feeder’s Rights: There is a significant lack of awareness on animal welfare as well as feeders’ rights. It involuntarily results in creating conflicts between animal lovers and others.
• Animal Suffering: Animal lovers have their personal and professional challenges. When conflicts with RWAs, local authorities, or other people arise, they get discouraged and might stop. This leads to animals not getting food, care medical support, etc.

Rapid response team bengaluru to support animal lovers

To make sure that animal lovers can go on with their good deeds without fear, we have set up the Rapid Response Team (RRT) Bengaluru. This is a platform that connects animal lovers and animal welfare organisations to provide them with timely assistance and security. There are five zones in Bengaluru — North, South, East, West, and Central, and each RRT zone has over 1,000 volunteers. The only reason for the existence of RRT Bengaluru is the animal lovers who are harassed while doing animal welfare activities and need support. As a matter of fact, Meera, a resident of Bengaluru East, feeds community dogs and birds every day but her society constantly harasses her. On contacting RRT Bengaluru East, volunteers come to her rescue, they train and inform the residents and RWAs about animal welfare laws and they give her support till the problem is sorted out. Now Meera is feeding animals without fear. RRT Bengaluru is a concerted effort by the most influential organisations like People For Animals and CUPA Bengaluru and a large number of animal lovers spread across the city.

How to join rapid response team bengaluru

If you are an animal lover, animal feeders, protector, an activist, and/or an animal welfare organisation in Bengaluru, you should be a part of Rapid Response Team. Rapid Response Team Bengaluru is an app where the details of every volunteer are fed and shared on a large database. Animal lovers from each zone can reach out to other animal lovers of their respective zone for help simply via an app. You face a trouble. You reach out. Your support group shows up. You get instant protection.

You can also use this app for emergency help, rescues, zoom calls, and protest meetings.

All you have to do is to fill this Google form

Another way is to send your Name, Address, Zone (East, West, North, South, or Central) you belong to, Phone number, and Profession to Mrs. Maneka Gandhi at gandhim@exmpls.sansad.in or to me at petparentpriyanka@gmail.com.

Who can join rapid response team bengaluru

Anyone can join RRT Bengaluru as long as you love animals and care about protecting them. It doesn’t matter whether you are an animal welfare entity, homemaker, professional, student, an advocate, doctor, engineer, or a senior citizen. If you want to protect animals and stop RWAs and others to harass you for taking care of animals, this team is your answer. We need at least 10,000+ people on the app so that whenever an animal lover needs help (day or night), others can show up immediately to rescue and support as per their availability.

Benefits of rapid response team bengaluru

Once you are the part of Rapid Response Team Bengaluru universe, you will be benefitted in a lot of ways.

• An Instant Support Group: Animal lovers often work alone. Joining Rapid Response Team Bengaluru ensures you have an instant support group to provide all help and resources you need.
• No Animal Suffering: When animal lovers are protected, animals are protected. You continue doing the good work in animal welfare in peace.
• More Awareness on Animal Laws and Rights: Many times, animal lovers are unaware of animal laws and their rights. RWAs take advantage of it and break laws. Joining the team will help you learn about your rights as well as state’s guidelines on animal welfare.
• Pet Parents Get Help Too: Rapid Response Team Bengaluru also protects pet parents along those who care for community animals. If RWA is harassing you, you can reach out for help.
• Local Authorities Take You Seriously: When a group approaches local authorities, you will be seen and heard. It will become easy for you file a FIR for an animal abuse or harassment case.
• Gain Political Recognition: As of now, animal welfare groups are the only groups that are NOT considered during elections. When animal lovers from all parts of Bengaluru come together, they become a formidable community. Politicians and law makers won’t be able to ignore them anymore.
• Favourable Laws and Policies Come into Force: Rapid Response Team Bengaluru is a group of thousands of volunteers from each city zone. Coming together and standing up as a group is the only way to get favourable animal welfare laws and policies to come in existence.
• Reduced Financial and Logistical Burdens: Working with like-minded people may also help you ease your financial and logistical strains. For example, another feeder can cover for you when you are sick or out of station, and are unable to feed community animals. A group can tag along to the neighbouring feeding spot in one car instead of wondering how to make every day feeding possible.
• Individuals and Organisations Come Together: There are thousands of animal lovers and hundreds of small animal welfare organisations in Bengaluru. One of the biggest benefits of Rapid Response Team is that it brings both together. Instead of staying alone and scattered, they empower each other through a single platform.
• You Get More Opportunities: Connecting with animal welfare organisations and other animal welfare activists may open the door for more opportunities for you. For example, you may want to join an upcoming volunteer/internship program or a movement in your locality.
• Become a Part of Change: Rapid Response Team Bengaluru is a revolutionary step in animal welfare so that no one can harass, intimidate, threaten, or prevent animal lovers from taking care of what they love – animals.

Conclusion

Rapid Response Team Bengaluru is an initiative to unionise animal lovers across Bengaluru through an app. This app will be used for emergency help, rescues, zoom calls, and protest meetings. Join this team by filling out the Google form or sending your details to the email IDs. Whenever you are harassed or threatened, you can login and ask for help. This initiative knits animal lovers into an unbreakable community that protects animals.

Click here for the Google form

Email: Send your Name, Address, Zone (East, West, North, South, or Central) you belong to, Phone number, and Profession to Mrs. Maneka Gandhi at gandhim@exmpls.sansad.in or to me at petparentpriyanka@gmail.com.

Join Rapid Response Team today and let’s make Bengaluru a city that loves and protects its animals and those who care for them. Do share this with as many animal lovers as possible. Every share counts!

The above blog has been written by a third-party contributor. Happy Pet is not affiliated with the author and does not take responsibility for the views, statements, or claims expressed in the content.