BENGALURU: Bengaluru might be an urban hub, but it still has a sizable population of wildlife trying to co-exist with the burgeoning population and urbanisation. An NGO on Uttarahalli Road in Kengeri has rescued more than 200 Spectacled Cobras, 150 kites and other animals since March this year.
During Diwali this week, the centre People for Animals saw a spurt in cases of snake rescues. Colonel (Dr) Nawaz Shariff, chief veterinarian, PFA Wildlife Hospital, said this could be due to an increase of heat in the atmosphere or smoke entering the burrows of snakes.
The six-acre hospital and a rehabilitation centre for urban wildlife has rescued over 24,000 species of animals since its inception in 1992. The centre is equipped with seven ambulances and four rescue centres. Colonel (Dr) Nawaz Shariff, said 95 per cent of the species are released after their rehabilitation. About 50 animals, which are too badly injured to survive in the wild, are kept in lifetime enclosures within the centre.
“These include Bonnet Macaques that get electrocuted and suffer from gangrene. We have to amputate their limbs to save their lives and thus can’t release them. Other such animals are kites whose wings are affected and blind animals,” he said.
Hishitha Jagadish, the chief rescue coordinator at the centre, said several birds need to be rescued due to dehydration or accidents when they try to fly off their nests.
“During Sankranti, a lot of birds get injured by the sharp kite strings. We get many calls to rescue snakes from areas close to the city’s outskirts, such as Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Kanakapura Road,” she said.
Colonel Nawaz said sometimes, animals such as slender loris and owls are rescued from black magic practices.