Rescuing Emus- Second largest birds in the world!
Over the last couple of years, VSPCA attempted to rescue almost 2500 emus, the national bird of Australia, who had been illegally brought to India either as eggs or hatchlings. Agonizingly, emus have been trafficked in India for their meat, feathers, and eggs. Initially, their meat was considered exotic and a delicacy by many people. However, like with most fads, it went away pretty fast, leaving behind hundreds of malnourished, injured, and dehydrated emus.
We were able to track down the neglectful and law evading owner of these majestic birds and safely rescue about 113 emus that were kept in captivity, starving to death. However, this was not an easy feat. The government did not want these birds in their larger facilities and it was cost-prohibitive to send them back to New Zealand, where they were trafficked from. VSPCA then had to turn to their donors to see if anyone was willing to donate funds to help rescue and support the maintenance of these birds.
Hearing our pleas, Mr. Philip Wollen and his wife, Mrs. Trix Wollen donated funds to Mr. Pradeep Kumar Nath, founder and CEO of VSPCA, so that he could take care of these birds. Mr. Nath, having no knowledge of how to take care of emus as they are not native to India, had to spend days and nights trying to work out plans on how to keep them alive, what to feed them, how to get them to adjust to India’s hot and humid climate, and where to keep them.
After rescuing these birds, and helping them narrowly escape the slaughterhouses, we took them to Kindness Farm, where they would be staying for the rest of their lives. Here, we are providing them with a mixture of jaggery and lime, lots of fresh tomatoes, and a special mixture of corn, rice bran, wheat, and grains. With the help of three paravets, two vets, and more than 10 helpers, Mr. Nath was able to nurse these poor birds back to good health.
Special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Wollen for their quick donations and for helping us with whatever we needed to rescue these birds.
We, at VSPCA, believe that birds only enrich our community and they should never be kept in small or large cages, or in zoos as display objects. Birds who can fly must be able to do so freely and roam the skies and explore flora. Birds are phenomenal pollinators too. It is up to us to make sure that all birds get to live the life they are meant for. All the injured birds at our shelters are well taken care of and they have immediate access to fresh food, water, and medical treatment if the need arises. At Kindness Farm, we make it a point to grow many hundreds of native plants and trees that they forage from, and are born to pollinate.