No place to bury pet animals in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Burying pets after their death is a big headache for Hyderabadis.

No space has been demarcated specifically for animals, and only two or three burial grounds, like the ones at Punjagutta and Domalguda, of the 33, allow the burial of pets.

The city’s pet lovers regret the fact that unlike Bengaluru and Chennai, there is no electrical crematorium or a burial ground for pets.

Software professional Tejesh Pandey had a tough time when his dog, Mylo, a Labrador, died. “I had no clue about how to go ahead. After a lot of enquiries, Mylo finally found peace at the burial ground in Domalguda.

The painful process became worse because Mylo was very special to me. I did not know how to handle such situations. They become a part of your life since day one and letting them go just like that is very difficult,” he said.

For Mr Nihar Parulekar, the founder-president of Animal Rehabilitation and Protection Front (ARPF), burying his four-month old rescued Saint Bernard, Fighter, was a huge problem. “There was no place that allowed dog burials.

So we travelled to the outskirts with equipment to dig a pit. Every time we tried we hit rock, gravel etc. It took six and a half hours to finally let her rest in peace. It was a very traumatic experience.”

Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chennai have electrical crematoriums for pets. “Those who can afford it will pay Rs 5,000-15,000 or more, but for commoners, they just let the corporation deal with it. We now need an electrical crematorium, because there won't be any space problems, and one can be at peace that the grave will not be dug up,” he said.

Agreeing with him, Mr Dattatreya, executive officer of People For Animals, said, "This is definitely a major concern as right now nothing has been specifically allocated for pets, and we are now planning to submit a similar representation to the GHMC to consider this proposal and address the issue," he said.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation had earmarked a budget of Rs 3.62 crore during 2012-2013 for improvement and maintenance of the 33 burial grounds in the GHMC area. "There is just one burial ground at Autonagar where mass burial is allowed and no other crematorium actually allots space for them," said Dr Venkateshwar, Veterinary Officer, GHMC.

Dr Abhishek Kalundia, senior surgeon and critical care emergency specialist at Dr Dog, said, "When it comes to burial, many locals oppose the burying of animals in a graveyard as they do not like the burial of pets in the same place as human beings. There is no government action, and we now need a proposal for this," he said.