Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Animal hospital in Thane struggles with space crunch
THANE: A week ago, a monkey, who had suffered burn injuries, was brought to Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in Thane.
The veterinarians had to turn away the forest department officials as the animal hospital did not have space to accommodate the monkey.
The officials had to shift the animal to an animal hospital in Karjat, 164 kms from Thane.
Built in 2005, the Thane SPCA animal hospital at Brahmand can accommodate 110 animals. Over the years, the animal hospital has seen a rising number of injured animals and birds.
Because of the space crunch, the vets have no other choice but to shift the animals to Parel SPCA. With only four surgeons, six ward boys and four junior doctors, the hospital — the only animal hospital in Thane district — is struggling to provide healthcare to animals.
It caters to western suburbs, from Borivli to Virar, and central suburbs from Thane to Karjat and Khopoli and Navi Mumbai.
Shakuntala Majumdar, president of Thane SPCA, said: “Not a single penny is given by government. The hospital is run by donation by animal lovers. Sometimes, we have to pay from our pocket.”
The Thane SPCA gets at least 50 calls a day.
Dr Pranav Ware, a veterinian at Thane SPCA, said: “We attend to calls and rescue animals 24x7. We have been facing space crunch for the past many years but we manage to treat with the available facilities.”
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has assured them a bigger place. Majumdar said they had written a letter in 2011 for a bigger plot. “It has been years but we still haven’t got a plot.”
Animal Welfare Officer from Thane city Meet Ashar, 22, said that, “The Thane district has only one animal hospital. Thane SPCA is only 3,000 square feet. As the number of injured animals increasing day by day, there is a need to expand the animal hospital.”
Even Parel SPCA is cramped with animals, hardly leaving any space for those from Thane.
Spread on 3 acres of land, the Parel SPCA has a veterinary college, labs and a operation theatre among other facilities.