A 400 kg bull had fallen from a cliff in the hills. Heavy cold rain was still falling when we drove the 45 minutes to reach him. We had no large-animal lifting equipment with us — only tarpaulins and the hands of the people there

The Bull from Wangbama

Needs Sponsor

Goal $5000

Transportation Equipment

The Bull from Wangbama

Four days in freezing mud, his back broken.

A young woman called us about a 400 kg bull that had fallen from a cliff in the hills above Wangbama. He had been lying in freezing mud for four days, his back broken, hidden from the road.

Heavy cold rain was still falling when we drove the 45 minutes to reach him. We had no large-animal lifting equipment with us — only tarpaulins and the hands of the people there. Speaking to him softly to keep him calm, we worked together to slide him onto the tarpaulin and lift his paralyzed body into the rescue vehicle.

His diagnosis was difficult: a broken back, no sensation in his rear legs, and an uncertain prognosis. We brought him to our shelter, where he spent the night under two warm blankets, eating fresh vegetables.

The bull from Wangbama died peacefully in our care shortly thereafter. His last hours were spent on hay, not stone.

Rescues like this take large-animal transport equipment we do not yet have — a mechanical winch and a rescue glide. When the next call comes in, your donations are what allow us to respond.

More photos of The Bull from Wangbama

Why do injured large animals in Bhutan go untreated? Most rural areas lack the heavy equipment needed to transport bulls and other large livestock to veterinary care.

People assisting a large black pig lying on the ground outdoors.

Help us secure large-animal transport equipment

We are raising funds for proper large-animal transport equipment, a mechanical winch, and a rescue glide.

A pricing chart displaying three care plans: Basic care for $25 per month, Full care for $50 per month, and Complete care for $100 per month.

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Large animal equipment

100% of your gift goes directly to the animals.

Frequently asked questions

BARC operates a 24/7 emergency rescue service that responds to distress calls throughout Bhutan. We rescue injured, sick, and abandoned animals and provide them with veterinary care. For further away areas of Bhutan, we organize rescue and transport to our Center jointly with other animal welfare organizations and supporters. Your support can help us to strengthen our rescue services so we can help more animals in need.
BARC cares for the large animals most central to rural Bhutanese life: cattle, yaks, oxen, and horses.
The medical issues we see most often reflect the realities of working animals in mountainous terrain — road-traffic injuries and fractures, hoof and foot problems from rocky trails, harness and saddle wounds, parasite burdens (both internal and external), dental disease in older equines, and abandonment or neglect cases involving malnutrition and untreated chronic conditions. We also respond to emergencies such as falls on steep terrain, predator attacks on grazing livestock, and birthing complications in remote villages where veterinary care is otherwise unavailable.