Feed birds, but with care
Ludhiana:Feeding birds may be a noble cause, but make sure it does not harm the speechless creatures. Recently, 12-13 pigeons died in Bathinda and the reason behind their death was associated with their feed. Feeding birds in the garden and on the rooftop is a common practice adopted by people, but experts caution them against this. People should wash and make sure the grains are dry before feeding the birds. They should include only specific grains in the feed, according to the season. It has been observed that may times these birds fall prey to certain diseases or may die after eating grains fed by people. The grains are sometimes laden with pesticides, which leads to their death. “The best way to avoid any misfortune is to wash the grains properly and let these dry before feeding birds. The grains that are kept to feed the birds should be of good quality and one should make sure that these are not infected with fungus that can cause problem to birds,” said Dr Kirti Dua, in-charge of Wildlife Centre and also a professor of veterinary medicine at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Dr Dua said: “The system of these birds is set naturally and they come to know what to eat and what not to when they are eating from the ecology. But when they eat food provided by humans, they cannot make out, especially in the case of pesticides, because they are not acquainted to it.” Dr Dua said water should always be kept in shade, as birds do not like warm water and tend to drink and enjoy only fresh, cold water. Dr Sandeep Jain, a city-based animal activist, says the problem occurs when grains are dipped in pesticides and sometimes birds tend to overeat. The intake of pesticides sometimes leads to neurological problems in birds. Dr Jain said adding grains such as brown rice and wheat during the summer season and flaxseeds and mustard seeds to the feed of birds could prove beneficial. A few bird lovers also lay stress on not feeding birds regularly, as it tends to make them dependent and deny nutrition required by them through natural environment. “They end up eating more, so one should be careful not to give them too much food. We should not always feed them as they become dependent and do not go out in the natural environment and hence are deprived of the natural foods such as fruits or nectar-producing flowers, insects which are the most nutritious and easiest and economical food source available,” Dr Jain said. — Manav Mander
Tips
- Do not keep too much feed
- Keep it clean and wash and dry it thoroughly before feeding
- Do not add any processed food
- Mix it up and change the grains and also the timings of the food
