This Crew Gives Animals a Place to Rest, Recuperate and Even Get a Dignified Burial

We have hospitals and clinics to cater to our ill and infirm. But who takes care of the injured and sick wildlife forced to share space with us in our concrete jungles? Meet a band of wonderful people from the Bangalore chapter of People for Wildlife, who rescue and rehabilitate these helpless creatures.

Some years ago, a majestic tree stood just outside our house, not far from the heart of Bangalore. It was home to a squadron of monkeys, numerous squirrels and many varieties of birds. There were probably many snakes around, too.

In those days, there was ample wildlife where we lived.

That was probably how it was in most other Indian cities then too.

But that’s a story from a bygone age. Today, a mammoth-sized school occupies the space where the sprawling tree stood, and barring the occasional bird and squirrel, there’s almost no wildlife left here. Most of the trees in our area have long since gone. Our locality has become one massive, crowded, ugly concrete jungle.

‘Development’ has meant devastation for much of India’s urban (and rural) wild animals. There’s now hardly any space in our cities for them to live. Many of the urban water-bodies and green patches that they inhabited, probably for centuries, have been gobbled up by malls and mega-housing projects.

But all isn’t lost, though.

There’s a band of wonderful people, I discovered recently, who are doing amazing work in trying to save urban wildlife—the Bangalore chapter of People for Animals (PFA).

PFA was launched in 1992 by well-known animal rights’ activist Maneka Gandhi. It now has more than 200 branches across India. Its Bangalore chapter, established in 1996, runs a shelter-cum-hospital in Kengeri, on the road leading from Bangalore to Mysore. It is one of only two such facilities for wild animals rescued from different parts of the city.

A PFA staff member, 25-year-old amiable Zubair Ahamed, takes us on a tour of the six-acre campus, a green haven just adjacent to the dust-filled, noisy, maddening urban sprawl. It’s obvious that Zubair loves his job. I can easily understand why. You can see that he is passionate about the animals he is surrounded by, as are the other PFA staff we get to meet.

A mynah chick that has fallen out of its nest, an injured squirrel, rabbit, snake or pangolin, an orphaned or blind monkey baby, a bear or a peacock rescued from captivity, a parrot rescued from a ‘soothsayer’—all these find a love-filled, welcoming home, including food and medical treatment if necessary, at the centre.

Any sort of wildlife kept illegally as pets or rescued from traffickers are taken care of too.

PFA has a 24-hour rescue helpline, a rescue team of five people, and an ambulance that’s available every hour of the day, every day of the week. “We get 10 to 15 rescue calls a day,” explains Zubair. PFA has trained a number of volunteers in different parts of Bangalore to rescue wild animals in distress in their areas and arrange for them to be sent to the centre. Here, they are housed in large, immaculately-clean enclosures and are provided with regular medical care (the centre has a specialized hospital, with two doctors, X-ray facilities, a surgical unit, a clinical lab, a neonatal incubator, an ICU, a quarantine unit, and so on). Then, if and when they are fit enough, they are released in the wild.  As of December 2015, PFA had rescued 7877 reptiles, 2865 mammals and 8214 birds.

Some 70% of the animals that the centre has rescued have been successfully rehabilitated.

Drop in at the centre on any day and you’ll find it buzzing with activity. A caretaker is feeding an abandoned two-week old baby eagle. A bat with a damaged wing hangs upside-down from its perch, munching on a bowlful of papaya. Several dozen regal-looking Black Kites stroll around sombrely (many of them were trapped in and injured by glass-laced string that’s used for flying kites). A large family of terrapins (a sort of turtle), rescued from someone who wanted to smuggle them out of the country, sit in the sun or swim in a shallow pool. Milo and Buddy, Orange-faced monkeys who lost their limbs when they were electrocuted, make faces at passersby, while 12-year-old Elizabeth, a Bonnet Macaque who lost her eyesight in an acid attack, takes an afternoon nap. Baby monkeys (all of whom have been orphaned) bounce about in their hammocks or play with their toys.

There are several snakes here too, and barn owls as well.

PFA’s large pet cemetery is one of the few of its sort in the country. It is one of the major sources of financial support for the centre, helping it meet much of its expenses. For a fairly modest sum, owners of deceased pets can provide them a dignified resting place here.

Rows of carved tombstones line the cemetery, bearing the names of the occupants of the graves and a line or two expressing the love that the people they lived with had for them—a truly touching reminder of what animals can mean for and do to us if we let them.

PFA provides numerous volunteering opportunities. You are welcome to offer your time here, helping with the cleaning of the enclosures, for instance, or feeding the animals, or assisting in documentation, research and publicity. Companies can arrange for employees to spend a few days at the centre. Several schools have their children spend half a day here for an amazing learning experience.  PFA is a non-profit organization, and runs solely on donations given by the public. For 2500 rupees, you can sponsor an entire day’s food for all the many birds and animals here. You can also ‘adopt’ an animal, contributing money for its treatment and care.

Just two days after I began working on this article, a Black Kite—a really majestic bird—was found in our apartment grounds, unable to fly. Having visited PFA, I knew exactly what to do. I dialled PFA’s 24×7 animal rescue helpline and, in a while, Harish, one of PFA’s team of rescuers, arrived. You should have seen the amazing way he handled the bird! He fed it and gave it first aid with great care and love, before taking it along with him to the PFA’s centre for treatment and rest. Last night, he messaged me to say that the bird was doing well.

I was very impressed!  You’d be too if you drop in at PFA someday and see for yourself the animals, birds and their human friends there all very busy at work and play.

Do pay them a visit—PFA is open all seven days of the week. I’m sure they’d love to have you over!

For more details, see www.peopleforanimalsbangalore.org. PFA Bangalore’s helpline number is 9900025370. For PFA India-wide, see www.peopleforanimalsindia.org.

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