M F AHMAD
Daltonganj, Dec.30: An NGO ‘Adhikari Foundation for Nature Conservation’ is proving to be a friend of birds and snakes in distress in Palamu district.
The NGO’s face Jyoti and her team of less than a dozen boys and girls have not only rescued snakes and birds but also made people not to harm or hurt them anymore.
Jyoti said she and her team once ‘raided a street side snake charmer displaying many snakes including ornamental ones too and recovered a good many of the captive snakes under his possession.
Jyoti told lagatar24.com today that they once found a deadly venomous snake Russel Viper in the Housing Colony in Daltonganj which was ‘challenged’ by a drunken man at night and the snake responded to his challenge by ‘biting him most severely’.
In such a situation, the snake could have been crushed to death then as it had bitten a man. But no harm was done to this Russel Viper. It was rescued and released far off in the jungle.
The man bitten by this snake too survived after days of treatment.
Asked if such rescue calls come at night as going out at night may pose danger or risk to her or to her team which has young boys and girls, Jyoti said neither she nor her team looks at their watch but rush out no matter what comes out of the errand.
About bird rescue, Jyoti said only a few days back she and her team had rescued a barn owl weighing 370 grams. The injured barn owl has both its legs in trouble due to wounds and infections. It has been medically cleaned and treated.
Jyoti said her team had also rescued a badly wounded bird called cattle egret whose one leg was amputated after fifteen days of treatment. One week of convalescing, this cattle egret was released to fly.
A retired IFS officer Anil Kumar Mishra who had had a large stint in the tiger reserve Palamu said this NGO is campaigning vigorously to save birds, snakes and other wildlife and response of the public to this new consciousness is encouraging.
“Our efforts have been recognised by the state government as NGOs like Adhikari Foundation for Nature Conservation, Neo Human Foundation and Wildlife Protection Society of Jharkhand have been included in the panel of the state board for wildlife,” Anil added.
