International Animal Rescue (IAR) recently launched an appeal for funds to support bear shelters in India who were hit hard by the second wave COVID-19 virus.
Some members of the animal care teams at the center in Agra as well as Bannerghatta are seriously ill with the virus and are now in isolation. In addition, widespread disruptions in transportation systems make it increasingly difficult to procure food and medicine for the bears and the reserve staff.
Message from Kartik Satyanarayan, Co-Founder International Animal Rescue Services partner SOS Wildlife who runs the sanctuaries in India describes how desperate the situation is.
“The dark cloud of Covid is causing serious damage to people who are dying around us. Hospitals do not have beds for Covid patients and there is no place for burial of the deceased. I am very worried about the current situation. At Wildlife SOS, we are in desperate need of help.
“At the Agra and Bangalore Bear Rescue Centers, we face many challenges on the ground. Our dedicated and dedicated employees do their best to work with courage, but some of them have tested positive for Covid. We had to isolate these employees for their own safety and to prevent contact with other employees and animals. We are in desperate need of three or four oxygen concentrators and about 10 oxygen cylinders as our team is in urgent need of help. The doctors informed us that we would face a medical disaster if we were unable to obtain this equipment.
“We already have a strict curfew and isolation in Delhi. We have to use ambulances to transport critical medicines and animal food to bear rescue centers. We urgently need to stock up on food and medicine so that they will last at least for the next 3 or 4 months, so that we can survive the inevitable restrictions that are hanging over us in Agra and Bannerhatt, ”Satyanarayan said in his speech. statement.
International animal rescue calls on supporters and caring people to help them raise funds to buy oxygen concentrators and enough food and medical supplies to last for the coming months.
“We used to save bears – now they need our help again. Since the bears were taken from the wild, they have had to rely on humans for everything. When they danced in the streets, they were at the mercy of their cruel masters. And since they were rescued, they have depended on us for food and care. Thanks to our supporters, we never had to let them down, ”said Alan Knight OBE, CEO of IAR.
“I am confident that our loyal and generous supporters will again seize this opportunity to help the bears and reserve personnel overcome this deadly crisis,” Knight concluded.
Please consider donating to International animal rescue HERE!
You can also donate SOS Wildlife HERE!
A post urging support for bear sanctuaries in India that are being negatively impacted by COVID first appeared in World Animal News.