Silvester D'Souza
Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur
Kundapur, Sep 12: A day after daijiworld published its report on the mass death of young birds due to unscientific felling of trees for the widening of the national highway, the forest department woke up and promptly responded to the issue by visiting the affected areas on Thursday September 11.
From Shastri circle here to Sangam, trees that were centuries old were indiscriminately chopped in order to widen the highway. This resulted in the death of a large number of sea crows and cranes that had come to nest for the breeding season. Daijiworld had brought to light the issue with report and pictures, which caught the attention of animal lovers and the forest department.
Kundapur zone conservation officer and his team visited the spot and conducted inspection, and ordered a temporary stay on the tree felling operation.
Moreover, Mangalore Animal Care Trust chairperson Suma Nayak who read the report on daijiworld contacted this correspondent, who covered the story, and sought information on the issue. On Thursday, she led a team comprising Shwetha Mendon, Tausif Ahmed, Clanute, Krishnaprasad and Aditya to the spot and shifted the orphaned birds to cages brought by the team, and took them away to Mangalore.
Thus, Animal Care Trust not only rescued the orphaned birds from further danger, but also gave a new lease of life to birds that were struggling between life and death by providing them a shelter where they would be looked after. The Trust also brought a relief to the locals who were pained by the sight of dying birds.
"Normally, the sea crows and cranes fly away from these trees at the end of September, when the wings of the young ones are strengthened sufficiently. If the tree felling operation had been postponed by another 15 days, lots of young birds would have survived. We were shocked when we read the report on daijiworld. That is why we arrived here with our team. The young birds we rescued today will be nurtured till they are ready to fly and then set free," said Suma Nayak.
Town council member Sridhar Sherigar, environmentalist and garage owner Vittal Kanchan and others were present.