MM: Hospital accused of bird cruelty: May 11, 2008 | Animal Welfare | Animal Welfare League | Animal Welfare Society | Animal Welfare Act | Animal Welfare Organisation

Hospital accused of bird cruelty

Wire mesh put up by Hiranandani prevents birds from entering, but it also kills them ......AKELA

The reputed Dr L H Hiranandani Hospital at Powai, that has saved many a human life, has been accused of alleged cruelty towards birds in the locality.

In a bid to prevent birds from entering and also to maintain cleanliness in their premises, the hospital authorities recently installed wire mesh on their windows.

The mesh succeeds in restricting the birds —- but in some cases, at a cost to their lives after they get trapped in the wire mesh.

With the increasing number of bird deaths, one of the patients approached an animal activist Babulal Chaudhary, alias Babubhai, and complained that the wire on the window panes allegedly had “high voltage electric current”.

“Following the patient’s complaint, I inquired with some of the other patients who told me that the hospital has “allegedly passed some electronic current to the iron net”, Babubhai said.

Babubhai further said, “The birds, especially pigeons, might be a nuisance for the hospital staff, but this is the height of brutality. Every day I have seen the sweeper dumping at least seven to eight birds with the garbage he carries.”

Babubhai has now filed a written complaint with Karuna, an animal welfare organisation at Andheri on Saturday, who have, in turn, taken serious note of the issue.

Animal Activists Arvind Shah, founder and managing trustee of Karuna said, “We have just received a complaint. We will definitely take serious action in this matter.”

According to the hospital authorities, some repair work was done at their hospital some time ago. They confirmed setting up a net on their windows, but denied passing any electric circuit through it. The hospital staff have also denied seeing any dead birds in their premises. “I have not seen any bird dying at my hospital,” said Nisha Bhise, the Public Relations Officer of the hospital.

Dr Aakash S Rajpal, an assistant general manager of the hospital, said, “The net was installed as part of a pest control programme to stop bird droppings in the hospital. The birds, especially pigeons, are major nuisance. They can cause major infections due to the dirt they leave behind. It can lead to various breathing problems for patients such as asthma and other diseases.”

Carcasses of birds trapped in the wire mesh at Hiranandani Hospital, Powai

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