WHAT WE DO
Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Center
The Bannerghatta Rehabilitation Centre (BRC), started jointly with the Karnataka Forest Department, is a 7-acre rescue and rehabilitation centre managed by WRRC. BRC has a surgery room, an animal kitchen, pre- and post-operative holding areas, reptile enclosures (pits), macaque enclosures, aviaries of different sizes, and housing for the staff who live there. The macaques and the parakeets have swings, tyres, climbing scaffolds, and other enrichment tools to keep themselves active and engaged.
Animals that come to BRC have generally been confiscated from the wildlife trade and display, rescued after accidents, or kept as pets until better sense prevailed.
BRC is on the outskirts of Bangalore, on the northern edge of Bannerghatta National Park. It is an area frequented by elephants, leopards, and wild boars, and is home to many small mammals, snakes, and a large number of birds. Because of the presence of wildlife, the centre closes at dusk. At night, the gate is shut and the surrounding electric fence is turned on, partly as protection against curious elephants—and partly to discourage curious strangers from wandering in.
Elephant Care Facility
WRRC established the first elephant care facility with the Karnataka Forest Department in Malur, later relocating to a 70-acre space in the Lakshmisagara Reserve Forest, where a few more elephants were welcomed. All these elephants come from backgrounds of intensive confinement and were subjected to excessive dominance and control. Here, the rescued animals can learn to forage, live without chains, and engage in necessary behaviours such as socialising, resting, mud wallowing, soaking in the water body, and gentle exercise.
This centre also acts as an interpretation centre where visitors can learn about elephant behaviour, habitat use, and the impact of commercial captivity, and see firsthand the positive changes brought about by rehabilitation processes that help these abused animals recover and spend the remainder of their lives in peaceful environs.
