Showing compassion towards an injured bird, the Delhi Metro train operators stopped the train on Sunday morning to save a bird that had collapsed on the tracks of Magenta Line. The bird, identified as Indian Cormorant ( an aquatic species) was caught in the tracks of Kalindi Kunj at around 11:30 am and was struggling to fly. Services were delayed temporarily but the bird was taken out safely and is being treated.
“As our train operators spotted the bird in a track they stopped the train and alerted the control room. We then alerted the wildlife conservation organisation to rescue the bird from the tracks safely. The services on the line may temporarily halt but at the same time the corporation is happy as they saved a living being from dying,” said a Senior Delhi Metro Rail Corporation official.
The bird was later rescued by a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Wildlife SOS. The bird is under mandated medical observation to ensure it recuperates safely from the ordeal.
The Indian Cormorant (Phalacrocorax fuscicollis) is found mainly along the inland waters of the Indian subcontinent, extending to Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. They inhabit ponds, lakes, streams, mangroves and wetlands, and feed mainly on fish.
“We got an alert from the DMRC on Sunday morning about a bird caught in the tracks and is struggling to fly. It was spotted by the train operators and they feared that the bird would be run over by the train. After which, two rescuers from our team were sent to the spot with necessary equipments. They shifted the bird to a transport container and rushed to a recovery facility,” said a senior functionary of the NGO.
The station where the bird was collapsed is located near the Okhla Bird Sanctuary which is a home to over 320 resident and migratory bird species and other wildlife species. It was also speculated by the public and the staff of Delhi Metro that the bird may have come from the nearby sanctuary.
“We believe the cormorant had wandered out of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, which is located close to the station,” said Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS.
In other incident, a monkey created quite a scare at underground Azadpur metro station. The simian had entered in the underground Azadpur station on the Pink Lines causing unease among passengers.
“The monkey entered the new Azadpur Metro Station at around 11:30 am. The new station building is underground and has an interchange facility with its old station (elevated) falling on the Yellow Line. The monkey was whisked by the the CISF and the staff of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) within few minutes as soon it entered the station. No harm to anyone,” a senior DMRC official said.