A heron falls and nobody knows what to do

Forest Department officials say they are not equipped to take care of fledglings that fall from the nests. It was rescued by a home guard.

A fledgling crane which fell out of its nest rescued by a home guard at Police Commissioner's Office in Vijayawada on Friday.— Photo: Ch. Vijaya Bhaskar

A black-crowned night heron nestling (Nyciticorax nyciticorax) fell from its nest in the tree canopy over the police commissioner’s bungalow here on Friday.

It was rescued by a home guard but the police establishment were flummoxed about what to do next.

“The nest was too high in the tree. I could not put it back in its nest,” home guard K.Someswara Rao said. “So I placed it on one of the lower branches, out of the reach of dogs.”

Ornithologist and former assistant conservator of forestss P. Gracious said that black-crowned night herons, storks and cranes are some of the fauna that nest in the tall trees in the commissioner’s office office.

These are water birds that are not consumed by humans and therefore find that nesting near human habitations keeps them safe from predators.

Forest Department officials said they are not equipped to take care of fledglings that fall from the nests.

There was, however, a need for a rescue and rehabilitation centre for birds. Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad have zoos with trained veterinarians that could treat fallen fledglings. The Forest Department here has no vets and officials were not sure if the practising vets in the city are trained to deal with injured birds.

It was therefore necessary for the establishment of such a rescue and rehabilitation centre like one in the Chilka Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, to take care of animals rescued by the public, an environmentalist said.