Prequel to an Auschwitz for dogs: Animal Rights Fund (ARF) shelter in Kengeri (Bangalore) in the months before The Voice of Stray Dogs (VoSD) investigation

Close up of a small dogs skull out in the open within the perimeter of ARF Kengeri Shelter. This photo was taken on 24 Nov 2012.

After The Voice of Stray Dogs (VoSD) published the investigative report on ARF a few things happened:

• AWBI predictably made some noise and issued some notices (AWBI is good at making noise – it has far perhaps far too many pushes and pulls to take any determinate action and perhaps far too many people which think it toothless in contrast to the Constitutional sanctity it has)
• ARF went to town about how VoSD publication was motivated (that should not be a surprise)
• A large very vocal ‘vegan’ community almost beat the ARF guys in denouncing the article – its not funny how many mails and calls I recd to remove the word ‘vegan’ from the article (other than one wonderful woman – no one really denounced the happenings at the ARF shelter unequivocally and left me thinking why did they not feel the same outrage for the dogs that they profess to feel for milch cattle etc. For the record the idea and the language of a ‘vegan’ shelter was Mr Bafna’s not ours)
• After a month of the VoSD exposé a section of volunteers who’d been going to ARF in the Nov 2012 time-frame (and some before) have come forward with more incriminating information on the goings on at ARF before VoSD’s expose.

A partially covered body of a dog beneath some earth and medical waste at ARF Kengeri (Bangalore)

This article if based entirely on the information shared by this volunteer community. The text and pictures come from these volunteers that have been visiting ARF regularly and are privy to its functioning. For the record this entire set of information has also been shared by the same volunteers with the AWBI as well so this information is indeed on record. The name of the volunteers have been removed to protect their identity on their request.

This is the volunteers experience in November and December 2012 (all observations before VoSD broke the story):

Living conditions of dogs

• The enclosures were filthy, with dog excrement not removed for days on end [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• Puppy enclosures were similarly smelly and filthy [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• Garbage on the premises is not cleared/disposed off regularly [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• The dogs were hungry and had not been given food [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• 3 years back when I first arrived I found the shelter was just a open field with 6-7 kennels capable of holding single dog in each, and a small cemented area to conduct ABC program. There would be about 20 -30 dogs tied to different poles and some kennels with 2-3 dogs [Volunteer 3: active in ARF since 2009-10]
• There was no proper records or any systematic rules for functioning of shelter [Volunteer 3: active in ARF since 2009-10]

Another shot of a small dogs decomposing body (notice the snout and the body in black) in a shallow grave (notice the barbed wire along the ground pressing down on the neck) lying next to the jawbone of the adult dog (just in front of the pups head). This photo was taken on 24 Nov 2012 @ ARF Kengeri

Dead dogs and disposal of bodies

• Dead dogs are disposed off in shallow graves that other dogs dig up [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• The doctor on duty informed (me) that sometimes she could not stand near the spot where she treats the dogs because of the smell of rotting dogs. They did not even dig holes deep enough to bury them. [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• The shelter was a site of dog bones and animal remains, there was no specific burial site. [Volunteer 2; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]

Medical attention for dogs

• Lots of dogs had skin infections because none of the staff wanted to wash a dog with skin problems [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]

3rd freshly dug dogs’ grave at the ARF shelter at Kengeri

Pet dogs & other animals at ARF

• There is a sizable number of abandoned pets [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• There is a van with about 6 cats [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• A big mature horse went suddenly missing. [Volunteer 2; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• Only when some owners leave their pets for treatment or abandon them at the center, they pay some amount [Volunteer 3: active in ARF since 2009-10]
• 25% of the dogs at ARF were abandoned pets [Volunteer 3]
• At one point there were 60+ wild fowl which are an endangered (whose pics are seen) [Volunteer 3]

Jungle fowl at the ARF shelter

What the volunteers did in the hope that Mr Dilip Bafna and ARF would change their behavior towards the animals in their care, before the VoSD expose:

• In Nov 2012 there were 60+ dogs and a group of volunteers started visiting the shelter to ensure feeding and some basic medical help [Volunteer 3]
• Provide additional supply of bread or fruits since the dogs were forced to be vegan by Mr Dilip Bafna [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]
• Identified dogs that needed medical care and bought medicines when needed and even took them out to other Vets for consultation. ARF vets claimed they are not capable of handling anything serious [Volunteer 1; testimony from visits to ARF in November 2012]

It is clear to see that what was pointed out by VoSD was not an aberration but a deep rooted practice which Mr Bafna (according to the contention of the volunteers) knew very well – these issues were raised many times and no-action was taken by him/ ARF. Dogs kept coming to ARF and kept dying just people in Auschwitz.