TMC staffer saves injured heron

Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) employee Bharat More on Wednesday saved the life of an injured heron that he saw roaming around at the Dadoji Kondev stadium in Thane.

More spotted the heron walking near the boundary wall of the Dadoji stadium around 10am. The TMC has shifted its workshop in the area, where More works as a welder. "I wondered why a flying bird was walking around the walls and followed it. Soon, I noticed that one of its wings was injured. The hapless bird was looking for shelter," he said.

Worrying that the injured bird might be attacked by crows or rats, More went after it to catch it. "I had to run after the bird. After a few minutes, I caught him and informed the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), whose members will now pick up the bird," he said.

Earlier this year in January, More had saved a flamingo that was being attacked by crows at the Kopri creek. "The flamingo's left wing was injured. It was in the mud and the crows were attacking him. It was running helter-skelter and then went into the creek," he said. More followed the bird into waist-deep mud and later into the creek. He rescued it and handed it over to the Thane SPCA.

More has also saved three-four people from drowning at the Kopri creek. An environment enthusiast, More has planted 250 trees at the Visarjan ghat in Kopri and tends to them daily.