HYDERABAD: House sparrows have become a rarity in big cities like Hyderabad. Many believed radiation from cell towers was the sole cause. But one person believes there is more to it.“House sparrows have traditionally been nesting in houses roofed with clay tiles. After the concrete structures dominated traditional constructions, they had no breeding spots and they eventually moved away,” opines Pradeep Nair, Founder of Animal Warriors Conservation Society, based in Hyderabad.
His team of 25 volunteers had started an initiative called ‘bring back sparrows’ in 2018, when they gave away 1650 ‘nest boxes’ across Hyderabad, to be placed at strategic locations for not just house sparrows, but even other birds to breed. “We placed three boxes at home and could see sparrows breeding 6-7 times a year, with 2-4 chicks delivered every time. We have seen great results,” he claims. Pradeep was just a child who had a keen interest in animals and his surroundings; who wanted to pursue his dream of starting a software company which he did, until his interest became a passion and then the purpose of his existence.
From volunteering for Bluecross and Friends of Snakes, he has learned, excelled and started propagating what he has always believed in - welfare of animals. “Rescuing a puppy stuck between boulders in an invisible area, pulling out a kitten stuck 70 feet deep inside an open borewell, spending days to track and rescue a darter which couldn’t eat as plastic debris had entangled its beak, pulling out a buffalo which had fallen inside a 100-feet deep well and rescuing many birds stuck in kite thread, were some of the most challenging missions,” Pradeep recalls.