The heat’s getting to the birds too!

The summer months are equally harsh for birds as they are for humans. However, while humans can have a sip of water whenever they wish to, the same cannot be said of the birds. And this failure to quench their thirst leads to the death of a large number of birds every summer.

But a generous bunch of people in Mumbai are determined to change that. They are launching online communities urging people to keep small pots of water outside their houses for birds to drink.

Madhuri Deshmukh from animal rights organisation PETA says, “Birds have higher body temperatures than mammals and they look for cooler places to get rid of the heat. Because of deforestation, now birds have to travel longer distances to reach their natural habitats. As a result many young birds succumb to the heat while travelling.”

Media professional Sanjay Pattar is one of the people urging citizens to provide water to the birds through a community on a networking site. Speaking of his effort, he says, “All one needs to do is fill some water in a plastic container and leave it outside their house. That will save many lives.”

Colonel Khanna from BSPCA hospital says, “This time the summer is killing many animals. It would be really nice if the civic authorities also make sure to fill water pots in public zones for birds.”