BANGALORE: As the scorching early-summer sun beat down, a worker with the department or fire and emergency services ran towards an apartment building on Jogupalaya main road in East Bangalore.
There was no smoke or fire, but the worker was on a rescue mission: A bird was stuck on a tree. Unknown to many, firemen have rescued over 150 trapped birds in the past three years. For them, it's all in a day's work.
In 2013, five rescue teams of the department of fire and emergency saved 52 trapped birds, while the number of humans saved was only 50.
According to fire officials, the control room is often flooded with calls, seeking help to rescue birds. "We don't differentiate between humans and animals. When we get a call, our teams are dispatched as on any other rescue mission," said KU Ramesh, chief fire officer, Bangalore East.
The teams on the ground say most of the cases are related to birds getting trapped in thick thread used to fly kites. "Birds get entangled in the thread and are stuck on tree-tops," said R Ramesh, fire station officer and in-charge of one of the rescue teams in the city.
MB Krishna, an ornithologist and birdwatcher, said many birds in the city have died of this. "We've seen many dead birds on tree-tops in Lalbagh. Once they are entangled, there's no way they can move around, and eventually die there. To know the fire department has saved 52 such birds comes as a relief," he said.
Krishna said the increasing number of phone calls asking for birds to be rescued is a sign of awareness and increasing activism among the people. "There are many online forums working towards creating awareness about saving birds in our city. This is a great step forward," he said.
Rescue stats
In 2013, five rescue teams of the department of fire and emergency saved 52 trapped birds, while the number of humans saved was only 50.
According to fire officials, the control room is often flooded with calls, seeking help to rescue birds. "We don't differentiate between humans and animals. When we get a call, our teams are dispatched as on any other rescue mission," said KU Ramesh, chief fire officer, Bangalore East.
The teams on the ground say most of the cases are related to birds getting trapped in thick thread used to fly kites. "Birds get entangled in the thread and are stuck on tree-tops," said R Ramesh, fire station officer and in-charge of one of the rescue teams in the city.
MB Krishna, an ornithologist and birdwatcher, said many birds in the city have died of this. "We've seen many dead birds on tree-tops in Lalbagh. Once they are entangled, there's no way they can move around, and eventually die there. To know the fire department has saved 52 such birds comes as a relief," he said.
Krishna said the increasing number of phone calls asking for birds to be rescued is a sign of awareness and increasing activism among the people. "There are many online forums working towards creating awareness about saving birds in our city. This is a great step forward," he said.
Rescue stats
Year Birds Humans
2011 25 59
2012 44 42
2013 52 50
Source: Department of fire and emergency2011 25 59
2012 44 42
2013 52 50
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/For-firemen-birds-as-important-as-humans/articleshow/32565196.cms
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