Meet the Animals
BARC is a nonprofit animal hospital and sanctuary 45 minutes outside of the capital, Thimphu, Bhutan. We rescue, treat, and care for dogs, livestock, primates, and wildlife — from emergency injuries on the road to chronic illness to end-of-life care.
We respond when the call comes. The stories on this page are some of those responses, and the work your donations make possible.
BARC opposes the capture or breeding of wildlife for human entertainment.
Some people ask whether rescues like ours are worth it.
We understand the question. But an animal in our care is not lying on a roadside at the mercy of leopards or passing traffic.
They are warm, fed, and safe. Whether we are working towards a recovery or ensuring a dignified, pain-free end, our commitment is the same.
Sam
Sam is the sweetest dog you will ever meet. And like so many street dogs in Bhutan, his body has been at war with itself his whole life. Sam has a weak immune system. He battles chronic fungal infestations, allergies, and more. Treating him is slow, patient work, but he is not one to give up. Neither are we.
Needs:
Medical
Food & Housing
Tenzin
Children saw the hit-and-run and called for help. Tenzin lost both back legs and needed surgery for two hernias, one inguinal and one diaphragmatic. For a long time, he could not move, and the pain was unbearable. But now he is better, and he pals around with his best friend, Skippy.
Needs:
Food & Housing
Phuntsho
Phuntsho beat cancer against all odds. With a massive tumor growing in his nose, he needed chemotherapy and many weeks of recovery. He was lucky and fully recovered, but it was a close call with lots of care.
Needs:
Food & Housing
Skippy
When Skippy was just a puppy, a car accident crushed both of his front legs. Most dogs would not have survived, but Skippy did something extraordinary — he taught himself to walk and stand on his back legs, like a tiny kangaroo. He bounces. He plays, and he is a daily reminder that ‘disability’ is not the same as ‘broken’.
Needs:
Food & Housing
The Bull
High in the hills, a 400kg (880 lb) bull fell from a cliff, broke his back, and went invisible to the world. In heavy, cold rain, our team drove for 45 minutes to reach him. With nothing but tarpaulins, ingenuity, and sheer strength — and with caresses and soft words to keep him calm — we lifted his paralyzed body into our rescue vehicle.
Needs:
Transportation Equipment
Mani
A truck ran over Mani’s right side and severed both her front and back legs. She should not have survived. But we got there just in time before she bled out. Now, defying balance and gravity, Mani gets around and helps greet new rescues.
Needs:
Medical
Sister Namgay
She came to BARC with over 30% of her body covered in burns. For nearly a year, she needed constant nursing care. But then something remarkable happened: as she healed, she learned to care for other injured animals, and now she’s a foster mother to every orphan at BARC.
Needs:
Food & Housing
Can't choose just one?
A monthly donation helps all animals at BARC—from emergency rescues to long-term residents.