“We receive at least 50 to 60 birds daily,” says Gira Shah, co-founder of a veterinary hospital in Ahmedabad, a city in western India.
With her team, she comes to the aid of birds weakened by the dramatic heat wave that has hit the country in recent weeks.
Since March, India has been experiencing extremely high temperatures, approaching 50°C.
Like humans, animals suffer severely from this heat wave.
In lack of water and exhausted, many birds fall from the sky and the trees and remain frozen on the ground, under the relentless and burning sun.
“With the temperatures soaring at the moment, in addition to the birds, we are also getting a number of bats that are severely dehydrated and very weak,” says a vet clinic keeper while rehydrating a bat at the using a syringe.
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“We start by rehydrating, then we treat the head trauma,” comments the chief veterinarian, Kapadiya, handling a sparrow between her fingers.
Because many birds also suffer from fractures after falling from trees.
In total, the clinic has treated around 2,000 birds over the past month.
“If you see an animal or a bird in distress, you must help it.
Human beings are at the top of the hierarchy of animals.
We have a brain, we can save them,” concludes Gira Shah.