VEERAPURA: Eighteen painted stork chicks have been rehabilitated near Bangalore after a flash storm swept their nests away in May. The last bird joined its brethren in the wild in October ending a precedent setting rescue operation that was supported by the Wildlife Trust of India.

It all began with a frantic call on May 10, 2002 made at the Save Our Wildlife (SOWL) shelter in Bangalore from the village of Veerapura. Heavy winds and rains had swept through Veerapura and neighbouring villages the previous night – and the worst-hit were several painted stork chicks. Twenty five had died and five grievously injured chicks needed immediate medical attention.

Painted storks (Mycteria leucocephala) nest in large numbers at Veerapura, a village in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh which is close to the inter-state border with Karnataka. This breeding colony at Veerapura is the largest known congregation of painted storks in Asia. Due to the arrival of a large number of birds in the 2001-02 winter numbering over 3,000 at the roosting site in Veerapura, these birds had to perforce build precariously placed nests atop the trees. The nesting and breeding season for these birds is the November-March period; April onwards the chicks hatch out. On the night of the storm in May, most of the delicately placed nests were damaged and many chicks fell off the trees.

The call for help went unanswered, but a cautionary response from Wildlife Trust of India’s Dr Anand Ramanathan came immediately: under no condition were the chicks to be shifted to Bangalore. The Karuna Animal Shelter (KAS) at the nearby town of Puttaparthi despatched an ambulance and brought over the chicks. One had a nasty fracture of the right femur, while another had been injected with every drug available by the local veterinarian resulting in paralysis of both its legs. The three other chicks, though still in a state of shock, recovered over the next two days.

Meanwhile, Ms Clementien Paus, the KAS founder, sought the help of Saleem Hameed of Save Our Wildlife (SOWL), Bangalore, who visited the Karuna shelter to treat the two cted in Veerapura village itself. Mr Gopakumar Menon, an animal rights activist, brought the urghicks. Hameed preferred to return to Bangalore with the two chicks and treat them there. The chick with the fracture died, but the other made an amazing recovery after two long months and was eventually released in Veerapura.

All this while, it was realised that a shelter for painted storks had to be created in Veerapura village itself. Mr Gopakumar Menon, an animal rights activist, brought the urgency of the matter to the notice of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI). Mr Menon, who has been associated with the activities of WTI and is one it donors, was aware of WTI’s Wild Rescue programme, which rescues and rehabilitates wild animals in distress. WTI and SOWL stepped in to save the painted stork chicks at this juncture. The two organisations enlisted the support of the villagers of Veerapura in the chick rescue operations and set up a painted stork chick care centre, with support from the the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), Karuna Animal Shelter, and the Andhra Pradesh forest department.

On completion of the shelter, four birds from Bangalore and three from Puttaparthi were brought back to Veerapura. But, more painted stork chicks kept trickling in at the shelter. Those requiring protracted treatment were sent to Bangalore. The month of May recorded the maximum number of displacements resulting in injuries. In all, 31 birds were managed at the shelters in Veerapura, Puttaparthi and Bangalore. Of these, 13 either succumbed to their injuries. The remaining 18 were released at the nesting site. The migration of the painted storks was complete by the third week of August.