Delhi’s Jain Birds Hospital: A Century of Caring Amid Climate Challenges
NEW DELHI — Abhishek Bhandari worked patiently and diligently as he examined a white pigeon that had been struggling to eat amid India’s recent intense heatwave. While examining the pigeon, Bhandari poured four different kinds of drops into the bird’s mouth.
Bhandari, a medical assistant, said the excessive heat had caused the bird to fall ill but that the medicine would help. The bird, he said, would be well in just a few days.
Bhandari said that the extended period of heatwaves in Delhi has caused a rise in the cases of heatstroke, diarrhea, dehydration and vomiting among birds. The Indian Meteorological Department has forecasted that the extended heatwave period, which started in June, will persist in Delhi over the coming weeks.
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In such a scenario, while humans suffer, birds also face many issues that make them sick. However, the bird hospital is well-equipped to take care of birds in all scenarios.
There is a veterinary hospital especially dedicated to birds that is located in Old Delhi’s Chandani Chowk. This hospital has been successfully running on charity for the past 100 years.
Puneet Jain, head of the management committee of the Jain Hospital, said the hospital “was started by our ancestors with the sole aim of protecting birds, as there were multiple veterinary hospitals at that time but none dedicated for birds. It was started to keep the spirit of the Jain religion alive, which is ‘live and let live.’”
He added that the hospital’s construction began following directives from Acharya Deshbhushan Maharaj, a Jain spiritual leader.
“Anand Tartarai Pandit, who was the Delhi police commissioner at the time, laid the foundation stone in 1957,” Jain said.
The birds are fed well in order to combat the strong Indian heat. (Photo by Rishabh Jain)
He added that the hospital is a two-floor building and a terrace where a total of 10 people currently work, including doctors and support staff.
“The entire hospital runs on charity, and we ensure that even during emergency situations (like COVID-19) the hospital administration dedicatedly keeps taking care of the birds,” he said.
Birds are fed three times a day in order to keep them hydrated.
‘Release them to fly again’
Dr. Haravtar Singh has been associated with the bird hospital for the past four years. He said that as the heatwaves become more intense, more birds have been treated as a result.
“We have seen more birds coming in this month because they got a heatstroke,” he said. “Also, there are more cases of birds getting their wings cut because of the fans. While people like to keep birds, they don’t get their fans covered and the bird gets hurt during summers.”
Singh also said that during the severe heatwave periods, they see that the survival rate among birds decreases due to organ failure.
While touring the hospital, Singh pointed to a group of sparrows, noting that they had been brought to the facility. They are all paralyzed and will spent the rest of their lives living at the hospital.
“Because the hospital is located inside the premises of a Jain temple, we cannot feed (nonvegetable) food to birds,” he said. “However, that does not mean we do not provide them with emergency treatment. We provide immediate treatment to birds and also contact the wildlife department so that they are shifted within a day and proper food that matches their diet is given to them.”
The hospital is well-equipped to provide all kinds of treatment to birds. For issues from fractures to emergency treatment, there are ample facilities available. Also, it has a big space so that every bird gets proper treatment and can also be accommodated if need be.
While Singh feels good about the work he is doing, he also said India needs more bird veterinarians. Both climate change and rising temperatures, he said, means more needs to be done.
As he stood on the terrace of the hospital, Singh said it was his favorite place.
“When birds recover, we bring them to the terrace and see if they are ready to fly,” he said. “If they eat properly and have recovered well, we release them in the sky to fly again. With every bird we release, I feel glad about the work I am doing. Every year we help close to 16,000 birds recover and then release them.”
Rishabh Jain is an independent journalist based in Delhi. Follow him at @ThisIsRjain.