Hyderabad man makes animal rescue his virtuous mission

Saudharam Bhandari of GHSPCA aims at saving the voiceless from cruelty

By Soha Maan

Hyderabad: His effort is to be the voice of the voiceless and reach out to birds, reptiles and animals in distress! Over the years, he has become synonymous in Hyderabad for rescuing the mute and desperate animals.

---

In 2005, Saudharam Bhandari started with rescuing snakes on Nagapanchmi when his team used to rescue around 150 to 200 snakes. The initiative and the awareness created among public started to gradually yield results and Saudharam now proudly points out that this rescue number has dropped to just 14 snakes last year.

Saudharam and his organization, Greater Hyderabad Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GHSPCA), which also consists of several animal lovers who volunteer their time, are also involved in creating a lot of awareness on the futility of using thread laced with manja to fly kites during Sankranti festival in Hyderabad.

In a big way, he is also involved in rescuing pigeons and other small sized birds that get entangled in the manja-laced thread during Sankranti festivities. “Our aim is to reach out and rescue the voiceless in distress. We receive approximately 10 calls per day to rescue animals from different parts of the country,” he says.

Since 2014, Saudharam is also involved in rescuing cattle and camel. Till date, his voluntary organization has managed to save 1100 camels from TS, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Since GHSPCA does not have a proper shelter home in Hyderabad, they usually depend on Mahaveer Camel Sanctuary in Sirohi district of Rajasthan to ensure the rescued camels are provided a safe shelter.

The GHSPC voluntary group has contacts with different like-minded organisations spread across various parts of the country. The animal welfare volunteers from GHSPC frequently receive alerts and tips about the possibility of animal trafficking, which is eventually passed on to the local police.

About his future plans for the organization, Saudharam says he plans to build a multispecialty veterinary hospital consisting of x-ray machines, diagnostic centre, blood and urine tests, operation theatres for the treatment of animal that take ill.

“Once they are treated and are fit, post-recovery, they’ll be released, be it domestic or wild animals,” he says.

“Hailing from a Jain family, my sole mantra behind this work is ‘ahinsa parmo dharam’, and I’ll work for the sake of animals until my last attempt”, says Saudharam Bhandari.