Twenty-one Painted Stork chicks were killed and another 25 injured after a gusty wind destroyed several nests and branches of trees at Sankarapandiapuram near here on Monday late evening.
Forest Department officials rescued the injured birds and are providing treatment. “Four of the chicks that suffered fractures were provided intensive treatment by a non-governmental organisation in Rajapalayam,” Virudhunagar District Forest Officer T.K. Ashok Kumar said.
Abundant water in the tank at Sankarapandiapuram and nearby Vembakottai dam attracts a lot of migratory birds, particularly after January. “The gale blew away the younger chicks from some of the nests. And some chicks fell down after branches of trees were broken in the wind,” Mr. Ashok Kumar said. The Forest officials are keeping the injured birds under observation.
“The birds are being fed. Many of them are around six months old and are expected to become independent very soon,” he said.
