Victims of revelry

Founded in 1929,the Charity Birds Hospital has found its way into tourist guides through decades of tending to all kinds of birds — stray,domestic,injured,infected and terminally ill. The hospital staff comprises one doctor,two compounders,two supervisors and a manager.

The three-storey building has long corridors,small rooms,smaller cages and larger-than-life paintings. The surgery and patient wards occupy the first floor and on the second is a long hall with wire-mesh enclosures for birds that are on their way to recovery.

Each day begins at the hospital at 9 am. Navneet Yadav,a recent graduate from Mathura Veterinary College,receives OPD cases,diagnoses and treats 30-40 birds a day. Pramod Jain,the manager,says that only two kinds of doctors choose to work here — recent graduates and retired ones — since the pay is not attractive.

Most cases of injury pertain to wing-cuts inflicted by kites and fans. While Vinod holds the birds in his hands,Yadav dabs betadine,sprays antiseptic solution and bandages the wound. He then pries open the bird’s mouth,trickles in a few drops of an analgesic,some antibiotic and,finally,an anti-inflammatory solution to reduce the pain. All done in a minute. “Birds don’t like to be held in our hands,the key is to treat the wound in as little time as possible,” Vinod says.

Two crow fledglings,weak and starving,are being force-fed with cerelac. A few Australian parrots,and love birds,which will never fly again,stay in a separate enclosure. Serious cases here are the birds with paralysis,viral and fungal infections. Though the hospital claims to have 40 species of birds,pigeons are all you will notice. Of the 23,000 cases attended to last year,more than 13,000 were pigeons. Easily susceptible to injuries,pigeons overcrowd the enclosures,but most have a good chance of recovery. With the kite-menace raging,the hospital also receives at least eight eagle cases a day now.

Cities and its urban habitats are taking a toll on the bird population,says Yadav. “The parrot population is decreasing. They are falling prey to newer infections and the lack of awareness to treat them.” Vinod points to a parrot who is under treatment for dermatitis,its body covered in a white feathery outgrowth masking the green. It has had a reaction to what it was fed and will take a few weeks to recover.

Yadav then talks about ‘colony collapse disorder’ — bees and birds’ brains get re-wired in the vicinity of cellphone towers,leading to their mysterious disappearances.

Yadav also says the disappearing tree cover and booming construction are eating into bird habitats. A simple thing we all could do,he says,is to leave a pail of water and some food on our terrace for birds.

Meanwhile,Guptaji,the wizened supervisor has arrived and bird-chatter has given way to hospital affairs. As the day wears on,the doctor turns his attention to his indoor patients — giving the birds vitamins,minerals and antibodies.

The hospital also keeps its doors open for visitors and donors. Among some of the regular visitors is a woman,who makes a monthly donation to the hospital,on the first Friday,a practice she has followed for 15 years.

At 4 pm,the doctor shuts the register in which he has meticulously made entries and written slips for the patients.

He will now visit the government goshala across town where he volunteers two days a week.

The situation is not any better there,he says,where starved,poisoned and injured cows await him.