The endangered black necked stork, whose life was at risk because of a plastic ring stuck around its beak, was rescued at 10 am today from Najafgarh Wetland by teams of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the forest department.
The bird has now been taken to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary.
Efforts were on to capture it for almost a week. The bird was unable to eat or drink because of the ring stuck round its beak.
Bird photographer Manoj Nair (who is the admin for Facebook group Delhi Bird Photographers) had captured the hapless bird on lens last Thursday, and the same was posted by senior birder Pankaj Gupta on his Facebook page.
City Spidey managed to speak to Gupta, who is now on his way to Sultanpur. He confirmed, “The bird was finally captured at around 10 am today. It has been sent to Sultanpur Bird Sanctuary for further treatment.” Delhi latest news
Nair, who had photographed the bird, added, “I am very happy to know that the stork has been successfully captured, and a special thanks to all involved in this rescue operation."
A birder from Dwarka, V Selvarajan, congratulated the teams involved in the rescue operation, and appealed to the government to provide protection to the flora and fauna of Najafgarh wetland.
Though the birder community is extremely happy at the development, they want government agencies to be better equipped for such operations in future.
Speaking on the matter, Gupta said, “True, the bird has been rescued, but a lot remains to be done. The administration and the concerned agencies must be equipped and well organised, so such operations can be handled more effectively in future.”
