17522 Dead Birds Received
600 Birds Rescued
268 Birds died after rescue
In November 2019, a great tragedy occurred.
Rajasthan’s famous Sambhar Lake turned into a graveyard for around 20,000 migratory birds.
Sambhar Lake, a wetland of great ecological importance is home to a variety of resident and migratory birds. The cause of the massacre was found to be Avian botulism – a neuromuscular illness caused by a toxin produced by bacteria — Clostridium botulinum.
We were one of the first agencies to alert the authorities about this situation in Sambhar Lake.
Partnering with the Wild Trust of India and several local NGOs, we set up a rescue camp at Kachroda Forest Nursery, Phulera.
Veterinarians, volunteers, and Forest Department worked tirelessly for 3 months – building and cleaning ponds, aviaries, cages, feeding birds, and transporting critically injured ones to the rescue facility.
After 3 months, the incidence of bird deaths decreased and the situation began to normalize.
The probable cause of the bacteria being present in the lake was attributed to increased pH levels and low salinity due to excessive salt extraction around the lake.