Cyclone Vardah has left birds bereft of their shelter. While many managed to return to their surroundings, some lost their lives.
Among those that survived is a group of scaly breasted munia hatchlings. A rarely found species in the city, the sparrow-sized bird builds its nests near human habitation in the confidence that humans would keep predators away.
In the balcony of a house in Madambakkam, a female bird had built three nests. On Monday, the family residing in the house was alerted by constant high-pitched chirps of the hatchlings. When the family looked into the nest, it found that the adult munia had died. The family contacted Shravan Krishnan, who runs an animal rescue centre in Thiruvanmiyur, for help.
On Tuesday, the family brought three nests with five hatchlings and 11 eggs and the dead mother. Shravan and his rescue team began feeding the hatchlings. The team bought dead worms, soaked them in water and fed the babies every two hours.
“The mother coats the worms with saliva and feedsthe young ones. We soak the worms in water to give them the feel of saliva,” said a youngster who fed the worms using a tweezer. Once the hatchlings learn to fly, they will be freed, said Shravan.
On Tuesday, he also took in nine palm swifts. “They were wet from the rain. The moment their wings dried they flew away,” he said.
