NEW DELHI: The videos of animals getting caught in gushing waters of a river or birds entangling their wings in wires and threads often surface on social media with some good samaritan extending their helping hand in those fatal scenarios.
In Delhi, the fire department has always taken the responsibility of that good samaritan to reach the spot, well within time, and save the life of the voiceless creature.
Notably, Delhi Fire Service is a first responder in almost every type of emergency -- from saving previous human lives entrapped in fire incidents to even helping curb rising levels of pollution by sprinkling water on roads.
But for DFS -- be it human or animal -- every life matters!
"In just the past three months we have all together rescued more than 1200 animals and birds collectively," Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg told this newspaper.
Garg said that the fire department had rescued 700 animals in this year which includes 300 in January, 251 in February, and 129 till March 13.
"Besides this we have rescued 251 birds in January, 225 in February, and 89 till March 13," Garg said.
Sharing figures from last year, the DFS chief informed that the firefighter rescued more than 7,000 birds and animals and responded to over 30,000 distress calls in 2023 .
However, rescuing a distressed and trapped animal ain't a cake walk. At times, the rescuers have to face the anger of the creature who feels enraged with the human intervention.
"The scared animals tend to charge at the rescuer and at some instances our firefighters involved in the rescue operation have been injured in the process," said Garg.
In one of the operation, a firefighter was brutally bitten by a dog who was being rescued. "The rescuer was hospitalised but felt satisfied that he had saved the life of someone in distress," the top official said.