PfA@30: Taking the animal kingdom under their wing

Bengaluru's People For Animals Wildlife Hospital (PfA) has been quietly rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing animals in need of medical attention for the past 30 years. Col. Navaz Shariff, PfA's general manager and chief wildlife veterinarian, shares their success stories.

A seven-month-old leopard cub hit by a bike was rescued and recovered under PfA's care. Protocols dictate that leopard cubs should be handed to the Bannerghatta Biological Park, but PfA attempted to reunite the cub with its mother, which they believe proved successful.

PfA boasts an aquatic rescue team with a motorized boat and a four-wheeler equipped with medical supplies. Daily vet duties ensure readiness for rescue operations on various terrains. Feather implantation, a unique technique, helps birds caught in manja or plastic webbing. PfA has created a feather bank with feathers from 32 species, some of which are common in the region.

Paralysis in birds and prosthetic limbs are addressed using 3D printing technology. PfA's efforts have also focused on macaques suffering from gangrene and electrocution, though implantation procedures have not been successful with monkeys.

The hospital has rescued 8,000 spectacled cobras displaced due to urbanization. Scarface, a snake injured by a JCB, is one of their success stories. Scarface has a transmitter attached for monitoring his healing, and PfA is seeking permission to attach transmitters to other snakes to track their recovery.

PfA conducts awareness programs and workshops to educate people on ecological awareness and how to deal with wildlife in their homes. As a non-profit organization, PfA relies on contributions and operates a state-of-the-art operation theatre with advanced medical equipment.