During
an evening walk at Kukkarahalli Lake everything seemed beautiful as usual until
I turned around a corner. The water was full of algae and a pelican was stuck
in it unable to fly or reach solid ground.
I
have seen how gracefully pelicans swim in water. But this one didn’t seem ok.
Its beak and wings were painted green due to the moss. Should I help it, or
call someone to pull the bird out, or was it just taking rest? Then it tried to
flap its wings, but in vain. I called a journalist friend and a friend at
People For Animals (PFA). Both initially thought it was normal for pelicans to
stay still for a while when floating but after describing the scene both were
convinced and promised help. Minutes later a wing of the Fire department
dedicated to rescuing animals reached the gate. I guided the fire engine to the
spot. The personnel wasted no time as one of them pushed the bird towards the
bank with a branch and another wore a pair of gloves, picked up the bird and
placed it on the grass.
By
this time a crowd had gathered around thinking we might have found a ‘body.’
Once they realized it was a bird a few lost interest and left. The Fire
personnel needed water but everyone was busy clicking pictures. I rushed to
nearby tents set up by workers and requested water. A man was kind enough to
give a pot of water and another helped carry it. The officers poured water on
the tired bird and washed the moss out. However they didn’t know what to do
next and had to leave to attend to another call. After 15 minutes the PFA
ambulance arrived, picked the bird up and took it along for treatment at their
shelter.
The
bird was in safe hands. Once back home I got a call from PFA saying the bird
was very old and tired. They had given it painkillers and fish and were doing
their best to save it.
The next morning I went
to PFA’s shelter hoping that the bird would have recovered. My friend there had
a different story to tell though. At around 9.30 pm the previous night the bird
ate one fish, stood up, tried to flap its wings, but threw up what it had
eaten. And sadly it died the same night.
Our only comfort was
that it didn’t have to die covered in algae water where it could have been
attacked by a crocodile. It had a peaceful death.
0 comments:
Post a Comment