Surgery saves bird, costs it its freedom
MUMBAI: An adult female Indian open-billed stork that was rescued from a Kayan wetland last month underwent a wing amputation surgery. The surgery saved the bird’s life but it will never be able to fly again, said the veterinarians who treated her.
The stork, named Buddha owing to its calm nature, was being released after treatment when it suffered an accidental fracture last week.
The bird was rescued by forest officials in the last week of January from Kalyan and sent to the Thane Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA).
“Buddha was treated for seroma [fluid developed in the body] in her joints due to an old fracture wound. We treated the pain and she was sent for rehabilitation,” said veterinarian Dr Deepa Katyal from Animal Wellness and Rehabilitation Centre (AWRC), Chembur,
Last week, as the bird was being set free after treatment, another accidental fracture forced her to be rushed back to the rehabilitation centre for another surgery.
“On examining her, we found Buddha had accidentally broken the already cracked humerus [upper arm on the right wing]. The injury led to trauma and extreme pain as she severed the muscle completely,” said Katyal.
The team of veterinarians from AWRC amputated her wing after giving her anesthesia. “The surgical process took an hour with constant heart monitoring and intermittent ventilation as the fractured bone was close to an air sac,” said Katyal.
“Post-surgery she was extremely unbalanced.”
Buddha will now be kept in captivity at a foster farm three hours from Mumbai.
“Due to unavailability of a facility with the forest department the bird, which requires a large space, will spend its lifetime in captivity. Such cases reflect how our urban wildlife is facing threats and need better facilities,” said Pawan Sharma, president, Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare.
Storks are protected under schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and are common across wetlands and Indian plains. Indian open-billed stork, which is a mid-sized wetland bird, is one of the smallest storks at 27-28 inches. It has an unusual beak, with a gap between the mandibles.
“In Mumbai, the number of storks have risen over the last few years, mainly across wetland patches,” said Sunjoy Monga, ornithologist and naturalist writer.