4 th International Case Conference, September 24-26, 2013 1 Serving the Helpless Animals: Lessons from ‘Pinjrapole’ Society in Mysore Mihir K. Mahapatra 1 Sunil M.V. 2 Introduction India is known for its love and affection towards animals especially domestic animals. They are considered to be an integral part of the human society. Even Cows and Bulls are worshiped by the ‘Hindus’. Contrary to it, there are instances of stray animals roaming on the street . This badly requires assistance for their survival. Added to this it becomes a cause for concern when some of them meet an accident, die out of hunger and/or disease and abandoned by the owner especially at an old age. There are also instances of illegal transportation of animals to slaughter house. And all these are noticed in spite of ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA), Act of 1960’ and ‘The Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964’ are in place. However, prior to the enactment of the bill, the society for the Promotion of Kindness to Animals, popularly known as ‘Pinjrapole’ was set up by the animal lovers in Mysore in 1938 with the primary objective to house sick, handicapped and old animals. Since then the organization has been doing a commendable job in providing better treatment to the abandoned animals. The organisation is well known for optimally utilizing the resources produced by the animals. For instance, many products are produced from cow urine including phenyl, pain killer etc. Of late, it becomes somewhat difficult to keep up the good work done by the said organisation in the past as it is confronted with many challenges especially financial constraints. Against this backdrop, the paper has made an attempt to evaluate the role of the organisation in protecting the animals by providing personal care. Further, an attempt is made to document the challenges faced by the said organisation in the recent years. The study is classified as different sections. In section I, an attempt has been made to introduce the concept of Pinjrapole as understood from the available literature. Section II gives an overview about history and current status of Mysore Pinjrapole Society. Section III describes the organizational structure and basic amenities available at MPS. Section IV deals with the major organizational activities in Pinjrapole society this helped the authors to understand how MPS become a differentiator. Section V has made an attempt to analysis the existing livestock and the financial position of the said organization. Section VI narrates the major challenges of the society. In section VII has made an attempt to identify important suggestions needed for sustainability, this follows summary and concluding remarks (VIII). 1 Professor-Economic, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD), Mysore. Email: mihir@sdmimd.ac.in 2 Librarian, Shri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara Institute for Management Development (SDMIMD), Mysore. Email: sunilmv@sdmimd.ac.in