Category: wildlife rescue


Kind rescuers save two snakes

Filed Under: wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
January 24, 2024

C.K. Palya is a pleasant, residential area in Bangalore. There are green trees there and peaceful streets. It is quite near the Bannerghatta Forest, where the WRRC, who rescue and care for thousands of injured wild creatures, is located.

On November 21, 2022, two kind rescuers came across a snake trapped in a glue trap, near a house. Without hesitating, they immediately brought the snake to the WRRC for treatment. Glue traps are cruel devices used to catch rodents. They are filled with glue, and the animals – rodents, snakes, birds, even insects and moths – become stuck inside.

At the WRRC, Dr. Roopa and her team immediately went to work, starting the long process of freeing the trapped snake. The young snake weighed 710 grams (one and a half pounds). With extreme care, they used coconut oil, wrapping it around the body of the snake, and gently removing the snake from the trap. Then they wiped the snake with coconut oil to clean the entire head and body of the snake and to ever so gently remove the remaining glue from her skin.

Glue can block the nostrils as well as the mouth, affecting breathing and eating. So very carefully and gently, using a Q-tip soaked in lubricating oil like coconut oil, the nostrils and mouth were made free from glue. Now the snake would be able to breathe easily, eat, and live normally.

Saving a snake’s life

All this had to be done very carefully and gently both so as not to hurt the animal – and also to not risk being bitten by the venomous snake. Russell’s vipers account for almost half of the deadly snakebites in India every year.

After the first steps, still not quite finished cleaning the snake, they had to lubricate the whole snake with coconut oil to make sure that there were no remaining traces of glue.

She was also rehydrated, given a painkiller injection, a B complex injection, and left to recover in a vivarium coated with coconut oil, which was her housing. Such cases recover depending on how long the animal was struggling after getting trapped.

The following day, when they looked to see how she was doing, she had recovered fast and was hissing and striking the typical threat pose. They were very pleased that she was so active and recovering well.

She was kept for a week for all the residual glue to come off. Ironically, the cruel glue traps not only harm and kill rodents, but they also trap snakes who are the natural predators of rodents. Sometimes leaving nature alone is simpler.

Another snake too

Not long after, on November 22, 2022, another young Russell’s viper was rescued near Nagarbhavi. Nagarbhavi, also in the city of Bangaluru, is a pleasant residential area, of many gated communities, with abundant green spaces. In the Kannada language, Nagabhavi means “a well of snakes.” The snake weighed 890 grams (two pounds).

Vipers are venomous snakes that have fangs attached to movable parts of the jaw that are usually folded back in the mouth. (In the U.S., rattlesnakes are vipers.)

This snake was discovered inside a house. Unfortunately, the people called unlicensed snake rescuers who used tongs to hold and restrain the snake. The tongs are a heavy-handed option that puts too much crushing pressure on the snake, especially around the spine.

The tongs did cause a wound on the spine, but luckily didn’t dislocate or fracture the spinal vertebrae (bone). The snake was given painkillers and rehydrating fluids and left in a snake box for observation and rest.

She seemed to be looking brighter, and after a week, the wound had started healing. Soon, she looked active and nearly ready to be released.

In the first week of December, in the presence of forest officials, the two snakes were released in separate locations close to their original homes, near where their rescuers had found them.

Freedom back in the wild

There they can finish growing into adults and live their lives in freedom, happy in the sun and the rain. They can expect to live around 15 years, enjoying open spaces and at peace among the trees.

All wild creatures are beautiful beings — important both as individuals with sentient lives and also as part of a species that plays a unique role in the eco-system.

Photo: Russell’s Viper / Jayendra Chiplunkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. This photo is of another Russell’s viper, not those in the story.

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2024

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An Indian peafowl with a big problem

Filed Under: forests, wild birds, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
January 16, 2024

Nice Road is a busy thoroughfare that runs through the heart of Bangaluru, a bustling city in south India. It is definitely not a safe spot for a peafowl to be crossing the road.

Maybe there had been a lull in the traffic, and maybe it had seemed to the bird that there was a large open spot, safe enough to cross. Or maybe he had hit a car windshield instead.

In whatever way the accident happened, sadly, the adult male peafowl was very severely injured. Kind rescuers, at a lot of risk to themselves, picked him up and rushed him to the nearby WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre). He was in a bad state, and they hoped to save his life.

When he was brought in, he had a severe head injury and was still bleeding. One of his wings was broken too.

Quick action and another hazard too – stress.

Dr. Roopa Satish, the WRRC veterinarian and licensed wildlife rehabilitator acted quickly to stabilize his condition. The fractured wing bone was set and the head wound was attended to. She gave him antibiotics, pain killer injections, and fluids.

One of the additional hazards with any wild bird in captivity is stress. The bird is not only suffering from injuries just like any patient, but on top of that, any wild bird that suddenly finds himself in captivity will suffer extreme stress. In the wild, a bird is never caught unless it is by a predator – and that experience is life-threatening and terrifying.

A peafowl is big, but they are just as terrified as any other bird – and the stress may be as dangerous as the wounds themselves.

Capture myopathy may be experienced by wild birds on being handled. This condition often leads to immense stress which can cause cardiac failure and death.

Dr. Roopa and the caregivers were all too aware of the perilous situation of the bird. She wrote to us, “We were keeping our fingers crossed for the life of this brave bird.”

After treating him, the caregivers moved him into a spacious posttreatment area where he was kept calm, quiet, and warm. They left him to rest and took great care not to disturb him.

For the next three days, they did have to handle him to give him injections and the necessary fluids. From the fourth day though, he was able to move about on his own and feed himself, which was much less stressful for him.

Recovery

Some time later though, the peafowl apparently had come to the conclusion that the wing bandage wasn’t such a good idea – so he pulled it off, and the wing had to be rebandaged all over again.

However, with that hurdle behind him, everything began to go more smoothly. The new bandage stayed on. Over the next three weeks, the fractured bone healed well. When the bandage was finally removed, he was able to fly again, and his flight gradually improved. His overall condition was much better too, and he was soon looking almost as good as new.

When he was ready, they applied for and received from the Forest Department, the permission necessary to release him back to the wild. He had recovered beautifully.

Back to the wild

The WRRC centre is located right in the Bannerghatta Forest – which covers an area of 100 square miles (260 square kilometers). It is filled with natural plants, big trees, and abundant wildlife – elephants too.

So, at the WRRC, in the forest itself, Dr. Roopa and her team released the peafowl and watched him as he walked among the trees to take up his life anew. Much wiser now and with a very spacious forest to roam in, he can expect to find a mate and look forward to many years of living a free life in the wild forest. Peafowl may often live 25 years in the forest.

India’s excellent wildlife laws are very successful in affording protection to wild birds and other wildlife, so the wildlife in India are abundant – which is good. However, traffic can be a problem. It is hoped that, as time goes by, wildlife will also be assured of vast protected areas in which they can thrive in peace, far from dangers posed by busy roads. They need good spaces of wilderness, away from the dangers of the city, in which to live.

Many congratulations to Dr. Roopa and her team at the WRRC for all their amazing, life-restoring work – and for giving this brave bird a future filled with the immense joy of life in the wild.

By Sharon St Joan

Photos:
Photo: Creator: Jatin Sindhu / jatinsindhu / 500px Credit: Jatin Sindhu / 500px

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2024

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A Bonnet Macaque rushed to safety

Filed Under: wildlife, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
January 1, 2024

Last summer, some very kind rescuers found an injured adult female macaque. They picked her up and rushed her to the nearby Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, which is in the state of Karnataka, in south India.

At the Centre, Dr. Roopa examined her. She arrived in very serious condition. Weighing twelve and a half pounds, she was covered in dog bites, especially around her neck and her fight forelimb. The forelimb seemed to be shattered.

Responding to the emergency, Dr. Roopa and her assistants swung into action to stabilize her. They first stopped the bleeding and then performed successful surgery, under anesthesia, on all her wounds.

After the surgery, she was placed in a clean cage, in a quiet area for healing. She was left to recover and care was taken not to disturb her.

Fortunately, there were no disruptions in the healing process. She recovered without attempting to remove or pull off her bandage – which is often a danger with monkeys, who are intelligent and have their own thoughts about the lack of usefulness of bandages.

In the following 15 days, she recovered well and uneventfully. Three months later she had regrown all the missing fur that had been shaved for surgery, and she was ready to be released, to return to her family, in the area where she had been found. Government permissions were obtained to release her.

She was transported back to the area where her family lives near the Bannerghatta Circle. With the information provided by her original rescuers, she was taken back to the exact area where she had been found.

Thanks to the kind, swift action by her rescuers and the expertise of Dr. Roopa, she was able to return to her family and resume her life in the wild.

There are around twenty species of macaques, a kind of old-world monkey, living in Asia. Bonnet macaques are common in south India.

The Bannergatta Circle , in Karnataka is a very fascinating site in itself, long inhabited by human beings for many thousands of years, going back into neolithic and paleolithic times. There are many megalithic ruins there, including ancient labyrinths made by early humans.

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2024

Photo: The photo is of a different Bonnet Macaque.

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A little macaque with a big problem

Filed Under: wildlife, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
July 13, 2023

Another bonnet macaque - from south India.

The town of Harohalli is a 40 minute drive southeast of Bangaluru in south India. On May 10, 2023, a kind person took the time to stop and rescue a bonnet macaque there who was having trouble and clearly wasn’t doing well. She was brought to the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) in Bangaluru, adjacent to the Bannergatta Forest.

There was an uncomfortable swelling on one side of her abdomen. She wasn’t just simply an overweight macaque because the swelling was only on one side. It looked to Dr. Roopa Satish like it might be an intestinal hernia.

At the nearby Zoo hospital at the Bannerghatta Biological Park, Dr. Umashankar and Dr. Vijay took an x-ray and were able to confirm that diagnosis.

Surgery and recovery

The following day, back at the WRRC Clinic, Dr. Roopa and Dr. Nirupama performed surgery, using general anesthesia, to correct the hernia.

All went as planned, the wound healed well, and there were no post-operative complications.

Of course, macaques love fruit and she was kept on a half diet of soft food like banana, papaya, and cucumber. Each day she got better and regained more of her strength.

In just 15 days she was back to feeling fine again, and as macaques tend to do, she removed her own sutures. On June 21, she’ll be taken back home to where she was found in Harohalli to rejoin her family and friends.

Good to go

Thanks to her kind rescuer and the skilled surgical intervention at the WRRC, she’ll be able to live a happy life now, active in the wild and free from pain.

Her condition had been serious. Initially, she may have suffered from a bite or trauma which tore the abdominal muscles, causing significant internal damage. If it hadn’t been corrected, as she grew older, she would have been very susceptible to serious intestinal problems that would only get worse with time. Now she is healed and can live a normal happy life of 20 to 25 years.

Bonnet macaques are native to south India. They are named for the distinct bonnet of fur on the top of their heads.

Dr. Roopa writes, ”We are glad to send her home in 41 days after a major abdominal surgery.”

Congratulations to Dr. Roopa, Dr. Nirupama, and all at the WRRC!

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You can help monkeys like this and other wild animals at the WRRC with your donation. Thank you for caring!

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By Sharon st Joan

© Forest Voices of India, 2023

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Too windy for a little bird

Filed Under: wild birds, wildlife, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
July 5, 2023

It was a warm, windy day as Varaprasad walked along in the Jigani area near the Bannerghatta Forest. It is an industrial area dotted with occasional acres of grass and a sprinkling of trees. Looking down for no particular reason, he suddenly spotted movement in the grass. There, he was startled to see a baby bird in among the blades of grass.

The baby bird must have fallen out of its nest. He picked up the chick very carefully and looked up to see if he might see the nest in a tree. Unfortunately, the branches were very high up, and there would be no way to put the baby back in its nest even if he could find the nest. The baby seemed weak and exhausted, but not visibly injured.

Holding the bird very carefully, Varaprasad turned around to head straight for the large, enclosed area which is the wildlife rehabilitation center, where thousands of birds and other animals are rehabilitated every year. He is a local wildlife rescuer and has often brought injured or distressed wildlife to the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre).

Inside the Clinic, Dr. Roopa Satish examined the little bird. The young shikra chick weighed 125 grams. There were no visible external injuries. However, Dr. Roopa suspected internal injuries because of the height that the bird must have fallen, and because she was quite weak.

She was able to eat though, and eagerly gobbled down some food which she was handfed. She was very small and still had fluffy down feathers. Every few hours she was fed and had a ravenous appetite.

In a span of just three weeks, she transformed into a grown-up shikra looking very beautiful in adult plumage. If there had been any internal injuries, they had healed and she was feeling strong and alert.

By a happy coincidence, the WRRC, has, at the same time, another young shikra, around the same age, who will be put into an aviary with her. The two will be good companions and will be able to practice flying together, becoming stronger day by day – and getting ready for release back to the wild.

Because they have each other — and their human caregivers are very careful to respect them as wild birds and not interact with them, they will remain wild, will not become tame, and will be able to take up their lives again living free among the trees in the Bannerghatta Forest.

Shikras are accipiters – small hawks distantly related to sparrow hawks. They fly fast and are agile hunters. These are native to India and similar shikras are also found in Africa. They are beautiful, graceful birds – very lively, yet small enough to fly among the tree branches.

By Sharon St Joan

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If you’d like to help these little birds and support charities in India that help the natural world, your donation will go a long way and will be much appreciated! Donations to Forest Voices of India, a 501 C 3 organization – go to help four charities in India.

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2023

Photo Credit: Rb.sg, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons. The photo is of another shikra – from Bangaluru, India.

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A spectacled cobra has surgery

Filed Under: wildlife, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
July 2, 2023

The Indian spectacled cobra is among the most common snakes in India. In the area of Nisarga, near the Bannerghatta Forest in Karnataka, south India, one of these was found injured on June 6.

On arrival she weighed one kilo (2.2pounds) and had a severe wound to her intestines. Though no one saw how she was hurt, it looked like the kind of accident that could have been caused by an excavation machine doing construction work. She might have been underground when it happened, so the machine operator would not have seen her.

When she was brought to the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) in the Bannerghatta Forest, she wasn’t in very good shape. Dr. Roopa Satish first gave her shots for the pain, to prevent infection, and to stop the bleeding. Then the intestinal wound, which was muddy, had to be rinsed with a saline and antimicrobial solution.

The intestines had to be put back in properly, and then the tear on the skin repaired. A firm bandage was put on the snake. All this was quite exhausting for the snake, and she was placed in a clean vivarium with a heating pad where she could rest and recover in quiet place.

The cobra’s recovery

Because the wound was so serious and the intestines had to be given time to heal, the cobra couldn’t be fed for a while. She was kept on pain killers and strong broad-spectrum antibiotics and given fluids under the skin.

Two days after the surgery, she was beginning to look a bit livelier – even displaying her hood – which was a wonderful, encouraging sign.

Three weeks after the surgery, the wound was healing well, and the cobra is now on her way back to good health. It was an extensive surgery, and it’s good that she’s recovering so well and is on her way to being released.

She’ll still have to wait for one or two sheddings, which could take from one to three months before she can go back to the forest.

Then she’ll be able to resume her life back in the wild, happy to be well and free again – thanks to the skill of the doctors and the excellent care she was given by the WRRC.

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By Sharon St Joan

The photo is of another cobra. Photo credit: Kamalnv, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2023

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Extending a helping hand to a snake

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — 6 Comments
February 26, 2023

Another Indian Rat Snake.

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After sunset one evening last December, a man who lives in one of the little villages adjoining the Bannerghatta Forest in Karnataka, south India, came across an Indian rat snake in his shed.

Just as he was thinking of releasing the snake back into the forest, he spotted what looked like some abrasions and scratches along the body of the snake.

Not wanting to release a snake who seemed to be injured, he took the trouble to bring the snake to the well-known rehabilitation center that was right nearby – the WRRC, the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre.

The snake was shedding her skin

Dr. Roopa Satish, the veterinarian and wildlife rehabilitator at the WRRC, examined the snake closely. She weighed 1.69 kilograms and was shedding her skin. Snakes are always very vulnerable at this time and can be easily injured.

All snake’s eyes have eye caps covering the eyes. Normally, they are transparent, but when the snake is shedding, they become translucent and therefore the snake is almost blind. At this time, the snake was having trouble knowing where she was going and could easily fall prey to an injury, having wandered too close to a building. Maybe she just suffered some scrapes, but she seemed to have been attacked by another animal.

With her assistants helping, Dr. Roopa cleaned the wounds and gently removed the partially shed skin using wet cotton swabs. Some of the wounds were deep enough to require stitches.

Then they administered pain killers, antibiotic injections, and fluids to rehydrate the snake.

Already beginning to feel less in pain, the snake was placed into a clean, dry vivarium, with a heating pad, to rest and recover.

All snakes shed their skin

All snakes molt and routinely shed their skin. How often they shed depends on several factors – like the species, their age, how active they are, and what the ambient temperature is.

Shedding is a very effective way of removing parasites on the body. Every two or three months, when snakes are ready to shed, they may rub their body between two rough stones to help loosen the skin.

During this time, they have poor eyesight and are very vulnerable. They may be attacked by pets or by other wild animals.

Thanks to quick action by the man who found the snake and the excellent care provided by Dr. Roopa and her assistants, the snake has continued to improve.

Back to the wild

Dr. Roopa has monitored the snake’s condition very carefully. She is waiting for the snake to shed one more time before releasing her, and she writes, “She is still with us for the time being and will be released after another shedding so as to allow all her internal and external wounds to heal.”

The snake will most likely be taken back to the same village to the green area just beyond the village, bordering on Bannerghatta Forest.

That was her home and the area that she was familiar with. When Dr. Roopa is satisfied that the snake is fully healed, then she’ll be ready to resume her peaceful life back in the wild, to live free and be happy once again.

Photo credit: dreamstime_s_184422714.jpg The photo is of a different Indian Rat Snake from the one in the news story.

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A chance to be wild again

Filed Under: wild birds, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
February 13, 2023

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In January 2023, the CID (Criminal Investigation Department) forest cell officers raided an illegal pet traders’ hub in the city of Bangaluru, in the south of India, and rescued ten Alexandrine parakeet chicks.

These are large parakeets native to India. Unfortunately, they are very popular in the pet trade because they are considered to be “talking parakeets.” They are protected under Schedule IV of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and it is illegal to take them out of the wild.

The demand for this species is high, and so this raid was intended to send a stern message to poachers.

When the chicks arrived at the WRRC, they were weighed, and their weight was between 110 to 140 grams. Dr. Roopa Satish, the Chief Veterinarian and Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator for the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) and her assistants, examined each chick carefully, looking for any injuries or abnormalities. Then they were dewormed, dusted with an anti-parasite powder, and given fluids.

Next, they were divided into two batches of five chicks each and placed into two spacious cages. There was a wood stand for them to perch on and a heating lamp to keep them safe and snug.

Twice a day, they were handfed with a high-quality bird feed, reconstituted daily with water that was boiled, then cooled. Each chick was fed using a sterile syringe and was then carefully wiped off with lukewarm water.

Wiping them off keeps them safe, free from any ants or other insects.

Learning to eat on their own

After three weeks, their food was reduced just a bit to encourage them to learn to eat by themselves, and they were given plates of delicious fresh fruit.

One of the consequences of the young birds having been kidnapped from their nests and not having spent much time with their parents is that they don’t have very good natural immunity.

Lacking good immunity, they needed to be vaccinated for common poultry diseases. Extra attention had to be paid to keeping them really clean, not handling them except when necessary, and maintaining strict hygienic practices around them.

So far, so good

So far, thanks to all this care and attention – all is going well. They’re showing a good growth rate, their feathers are coming in well, and they are really lively and active.

Very soon, they’ll be ready for the next stage which is flight practice in a large aviary. The aviary will be prepared with lots of branches and other enrichment, then they’ll be moved into their new aviary for the next stage of rehabilitation, which is flight practice. During this time, they won’t be handled at all, but will be left to their own devices, preparing for life in the wild.

There’s a lot for them to learn – vital flight skills, as well as overcoming becoming imprinted on people. They’ll need to develop proper parakeet social skills, so that they’ll fit in well once they’re back in the wild.

There’s an enormous amount for the young parakeets to learn in order to get along well in their flock – the right etiquette and language – plus alarm calls, what predators to watch out for, and courtship behavior.

We might think the life of a bird is simple, but the lives of birds are never simple. Actually, life in the wild is very complex – and it varies with every species.

If all continues to go well, these young parakeets will be all ready in one or two years to be released back into the wild – to live in freedom.

Thanks to the WRRC and everyone there for their care and expertise in getting these parakeets all set for their next adventure – so they can fly free with long, happy lives ahead of them.

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Photo Credit: ID 71351990 © Rafael Ben Ari | Dreamstime.com
This photo is of another parakeet, not one of those in the story.

© Copyright, Forest Voices of India, 2023

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A Bengal monitor lizard freed from poachers

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, forests, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
December 9, 2022

Tumkur is a city in south India about an hour north of Bangaluru. There, on September 19, 2022, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) forest cell rescued a large Bengal monitor lizard from poachers. (The photo above is of a different Bengal monitor lizard.)

Dr Roopa Satish, of the WRRC (Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre) writes that when poachers tie these beautiful lizards tightly with nylon ropes, the blood circulation is often cut off. Then they may become handicapped and unable to move their limbs. Of course, they can only be released if they can get their limb movement back.

Weighing 4.3 kilos or nearly 10 pounds, the large monitor was thoroughly examined. He had a few wounds and one missing claw. All the wounds were cleaned and dressed and his limbs were gently messaged to restore circulation. He was rehydrated with sub cutaneous fluids, given a shot for pain and also given antibiotics.

He was housed in a large enclosure and given food and water. The big enclosure offered a lot of hiding spaces and space for basking so that he could be comfortable. Because of his size and weight, he was believed to be a male.

As it is for any wild creature, being in captivity was stressful. He was kept in a calm, quiet place away from any human disturbance, so that he would have a chance to rest, to promote his healing and recovery.

Soon, he was feeling much livelier — able to spring into action and to make aggressive sounds when approached. He loved his food and was definitely feeling better.

After a week or so of being under observation in order to rule out any infection, he was taken to a safe protected forest area and released in the presence of forest officials.

Now once again back where he belongs, he is enjoying his freedom in his forest domain.

Photo credit: A.Savin, FAL, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo is of a different Bengal monitor lizard, not the one in the story.

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A misunderstood cobra

Filed Under: animal protection in Asia, forests, learning about nature, sacred ecology, wildlife rehabilitation, wildlife rescue by sharonstjoan — Leave a comment
December 9, 2022

A couple of years back, the Jigni area on the outskirts of the large south Indian city, Bangaluru, was a field where a kind of millet was grown. Now, it has been developed and is filled with homes. On November 29, of this year, a spectacled cobra was spotted who had accidentally entered a family’s house.

The people who lived there were startled by the cobra, and they called a snake catcher to come and catch him.

Sadly, the snake catcher had no experience catching snakes, and he was way out of his depth. He had bought some snake tongs on the internet. Catching snakes is an activity that requires a great deal of knowledge and years of experience. Without meaning to, he injured the snake by clamping down too hard. Hurt and in pain, the snake became aggressive. Afraid and not knowing what to do, the inexperienced snake catcher let go of the snake, leaving the tongs still attached to the snake.

This time the family called an experienced snake catcher, who arrived within an hour, safely removed the tongs, and rescued the cobra. He also took the time to educate everyone present not to use the wrong tools, like the tongs, which are very painful to snakes. He then, in the middle of the night, brought the injured cobra to be cared for at the WRRC center in Bangaluru (the Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre), where all kinds of wildlife in distress are treated with great kindness and expertise.

Dr. Roopa Satish, the Chief Wildlife Rehabilitator, examined the cobra that weighed 740 grams, about one and a half pounds.

Luckily, there were no spinal injuries. The cobra was given pain killers and fluids, and the wound was thoroughly cleaned and dressed.

He was moved into a clean vivarium with a bowl of fresh water and a heating pad and left in peace and quiet to recover.

Happily, within two days, the cobra had much improved and began looking for a way to escape from his vivarium.

All animals, whether wild or domestic, are, by nature, innocent. They defend themselves if attacked and, of course, they seek food to eat. But they do not act out of malice or viciousness.

Once the relevant Forest Department permissions are obtained, the cobra will be released in the second week of December in a good habitat away from both people and housing developments.

Thanks to human beings who cared, he’ll be free to enjoy the rest of his life in a suitable wild area, as nature intended.

Photo credit: Kamalnv, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons The photo is of a different cobra.

© Copyright Forest Voices of India, 2022

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