Last weekend was a busy one for bird rescue centres across Mumbai. Harshil Shah who is part of the organising committee of Shree Samkit Yuvak Mandal, Borivali (SSYMB) shares that this year the bird rescue team received over 1,200 calls for injured birds across Mumbai. Of these, 600 birds have been rescued and are under treatment, 125 birds died, and approximately 175 birds have been left with permanent injuries or are unable to fly. Comparing the numbers to previous years and noting a decline in calls for injured birds in the last five years — especially in 2021 and 2022 — this year, Shah shares that the numbers peaked since Makar Sankranti fell on a weekend.

Dr Malhar Joshi