Since the start of this year, Wildlife SOS’s 24 hour rescue helpline has been buzzing with distressed calls concerning injured Nilgais almost every day. It is shocking to know that a total of 29 of these beautiful creatures were found wounded till date in different parts of Delhi-NCR just in the last two months.
Areas like Chhatarpur Air Force Station, Adhchini bus stand, Kachra Plant in Bawana, Water Treatment Plant in Rohini, Tughlakabad, Hanuman Mandir and Jawaharlal Nehru University have been frequent sights for such incidents. One of the rescues was of a full grown male Nilgai who fell into a lake near Hanuman Mandir and almost drowned before our rescue team reached the area and saved him. Although terrified and possibly scarred from the experience, he was found to be healthy and has been released back into his natural habitat.
Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-Founder, Wildlife SOS said, “Nilgais come under Schedule III of the Wildlife Act. Often the plight of urban wildlife is dismissed because city dwellers consider them to be a nuisance. One needs to learn how to restore the ecosystem so as to avoid the problem from intensifying.”
Most of the rescues took place near Jawaharlal Nehru University where the fawns had fallen prey to ferocious dogs in the area who inflicted several injuries on them. Upon receiving the calls, the rescue team rushed to their rescue and managed to save them. They are currently kept under observation at our sanctuary in Gurgaon until fit enough to be released into their natural habitat.
Geeta Seshamani, Co-Founder, Wildlife SOS said, “Nilgais lived peacefully on what we called the Ridge-a highly forested green area in the heart of Delhi. But they began to migrate due to the excessive biotic disturbance by humans as these areas became utilized for various developmental needs of the city. They would cross roads and often get injured in road accidents.”
Wildlife SOS urges the people to make an effort in helping these animals as man-wildlife conflict has intensified. As Sylvia Dolson rightly said,” Like us, animals feel love, joy, fear and pain, but they cannot grasp the spoken word. It is our obligation to speak on their behalf ensuring their well-being and lives are respected and protected.”
The Wildlife SOS Hotline (9871963535) works round the clock to help wildlife in distress in and around Delhi NCR. For extending a helping hand in support of our work please make a donation HERE.
