A Painted stork that was being chased by feral dogs in a Mehrauli park and a bat that had taken up shelter in a temple in Janakpuri were rescued and kept under medical observation.
Two rescuers from an NGO rushed with the required equipment to bring the stork to safety. Medical examination by veterinary doctors revealed that the bird was suffering from dehydration and weakness and is currently under observation.
"Juvenile painted storks have a brownish plumage while the adults have a white plumage with black striped markings on the wings and bright pink markings on the wing tips", they said.
These birds reside near water bodies such as wetlands, marshes and agricultural fields. They breed in colonies, and are often sighted nesting on the western bank of the Yamuna river, an activist said.
Colonies of wild storks have also been recorded nesting inside
The Delhi Zoological park, since decades.
Afroz Alam, the concerned citizen who called Wildlife SOS said, “While sitting in the park, I noticed a bird that was struggling to fly being chased by feral dogs. It looked quite weak and scared, so I tried to chase away the dogs and called the Wildlife SOS hotline for help.”
Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder and CEO, Wildlife SOS said, “The Painted Stork (Mycteria leucocephala) is a near-threatened species, which is found across the large marshes of the sub-continent. Human-induced factors have led to the decline in their natural habitats and furthered their invasion. It is reassuring to see that more and more people are taking the right steps by reporting such incidents to our wildlife rescue hotline.”
Wasim Akram, Deputy Director- Special Projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “The stork is under medical observation and will take time to recover from the ordeal.”
Following the rescue of the painted stork, the Wildlife SOS Rapid Response Unit rushed to the aid of a bat that had taken shelter in Shri Shiv Shakti Sanatan Dharm Mandir located in Janakpuri.
Often the plight of urban wildlife is dismissed because city dwellers consider them to be a nuisance and they are frequently met with hostility. Wildlife SOS works towards changing this attitude and sensitizing the public to the presence of urban wildlife.