Birds most vulnerable to distress situations: Report

Last year, as many as 4,936 wild animals in Pune district were provided help including rescue, medical treatment, reunion and lifetime care

The RESQ Charitable Trust’s latest annual report has revealed that out of the 5,734 wild animals that were provided aid in both Pune and Nashik districts last year, as many as 3,457 (61%) were birds. Most of these birds suffered manjha injuries, accidental injuries or electrocution. Changes in land use patterns, encroachment on animal habitats, and a few other factors, too, were responsible for the increase in man-animal conflicts in both districts, the report revealed.

Most of these birds suffered manjha injuries, accidental injuries or electrocution. (HT PHOTO)

Last year, as many as 4,936 wild animals in Pune district were provided help including rescue, medical treatment, reunion and lifetime care whereas 798 wild animals in Nashik district were provided help. The animals included birds, mammals and reptiles however the majority of animals attended to were birds. Kingfishers, owls and Brahminy Kites were some of the birds admitted for treatment.

Animals in distress are usually reported on the helpline numbers provided by the forest department and RESQ. They are also reported by various departments including the police, fire brigade, customs and other government bodies. Many of these animals are rescued in on-ground operations. Sometimes, the animals are directly brought for treatment by individuals. All these animals are admitted to the treatment facility at Bavdhan and taken care of by the RESQ team with the consent of the forest department.

The director, wildlife management, RESQ CT, said that distress scenarios included road accidents, orphaned animals, animals entering human settlements, man-animal conflicts, wild or stray animal attacks, animals falling into wells or getting stuck to glue traps that are often used to catch rats in urban areas. According to the latest annual report, 1,086 mammals and 1,191 reptiles were admitted to the RESQ facility apart from birds. While some of these animals were re-released into the wild after being kept under observation for a short duration of time, some are still receiving treatment.

The comparative data also highlighted that in the last two years, the number of wild animals reported in the RESQ facility has increased. In 2021, there were 1,868 wild animals provided with help whereas in 2022, 3,011 wild animals needed intervention. However, birds were among the most distressed category over the past two years.

Aditya Paranjape, wildlife warden, Pune Forest Department, said, “Last year, there were several incidents where entire bird colonies were destroyed by tree-cutting. Earlier, facilities at Katraj and Chinchwad used to get calls about animal distress situations. But these facilities have stopped getting such calls which is why the animals are being directly reported to the RESQ facility. As a result, we have seen an increase in the number of incidents reported. Since we are now getting real-time data on such incidents, it will help us to get a clear picture of distress scenarios. In future, it will not only help in research but also in making policy decisions.”

Number of animal distress incidents reported in the last two years in Pune district