Delhi Fire Services rescued over 7,000 birds, animals last year

New Delhi, January 29

From rescuing an owl that got entangled in a kite thread to saving a cow which fell into a pit, Delhi Fire Services rescued more than 4,000 birds and 3,000 animals last year, officials said on Sunday.

Most of these rescue operations were carried out around Independence Day — the traditional kite flying season in the Capital.

According to data accessed by PTI, firefighters in the Capital responded to 28,449 distress calls between January and December last year and rescued 3,354 animals and 4,182 birds.

Over 16,500 of these distress calls were fire related, the data showed. Eighty-two people died and more than 700 were injured in fire-related incidents last year.

According to the Fire department, April (4,140), May (3,362) and June (3,186) recorded the majority of these distress calls — most related to fire, building collapse, drowning, bird and animal rescue, among various other assistance sought by different agencies.

The maximum number of such cases were reported around Independence Day when people traditionally fly kites and the strings get suspended from trees and poles, creating a death trap for birds, said Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg.

“According to our data, our firefighters not only take part in fire rescue operations but also go beyond their call of duty to rescue birds and animals that get trapped or entangled,” he said.