Drunk man stalls bird rescue to treat it with 'home remedy'

Obstructs rescuers from treating the injured kite, insists on applying turmeric powder on its wounded wing; finally, the cops intervene to help save the bird

Bird lovers eager to save a badly injured male kite had to fight off a drunkard, who assumed custody of the bird and refused to hand it over to rescuers, in order to apply turmeric powder on its wound.


Kite-runner: Bablu Sayyed being led away by beat marshals after he attempted to walk away with the injured kite  

He was so adamant that he would not let rescuers so much as touch the bird. Ultimately, the local police had to intervene. Cops took him to the police chowky and handed over the bird to the rescuers for proper medical aid.

The drama started after Sayyed Faisal, a third-year BCom student, along with other residents of Bhavani Peth, noticed a bird lying unconscious on the steps of one of the shops in the area.

Faisal called bird-and-animal rescue officer Arvind Gopal Salve to the spot. But meanwhile, around 3 pm, a man identified as Bablu Sayyed took charge of the kite and tried walking off with it.

Salve said, "The person called Sayyed, who was under heavy influence of alcohol, was trying to apply turmeric powder on the bird's wound, but this method is crude.

He was not ready to hand over the bird even after we asked him for it. The stand-off went on for a while and we had to seek help of the police."

Beat marshals Mayur Dalvi and Mangesh Nanapure from Khadak police station rushed to the spot after receiving the distress call. They detained Sayyed and handed over the bird to the rescuer, Salve.

Faisal said, "Thankfully, the bird landed in the safe hands of the animal rescuers only after police intervention." Beat marshal Dalvi said, "Salve told us that Sayyed had applied turmeric to the wounded bird.

He said his mannerism was objectionable but the intent was to save the bird. After issuing Sayyed a warning, we have released him."

Salve said that the bird has been taken to the Katraj Snake Park and is being fed pieces of chicken. "The bird has sustained deep injuries on his wing, which are commonly found among young birds learning to fly. We are doing our best to nurse him, but we cannot guarantee that he'd be able to fly again."

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