RESQ's intervention with wildlife generally revolves around 5 domains:
[1] Wildlife Veterinary Medicine, Surgery and Post-operative Rehabilitation
Wildlife comes to us requiring medical treatment or Surgery and Post-operative care. Impacted by either trauma related wounds, injuries or infections, wildlife comes to us from several different situations.
[2] Rehabilitation of Abandoned Orphans
When they get reported to RESQ, the first line of action is always to attempt locating its mother and reuniting them. If reuniting fails, the orphans are brought to our Centre, hand-raised, rehabilitated and based on the type of species, future release outcomes are determined.
[3] Wildlife Rescued from Illegal Captivity
Some wildlife species come to us after being rescued from illegal captivity, either as pets or seized from illegal traders. People either surrender them when made aware or they come to us if seized by the Forest Department. Commonly these are monkeys, turtles, tortoises or parakeets and their rehabilitation and release outcomes are determined based on the species, their level of affinity to humans or captive conditions, scope to get integrated into social groups and where their natural distribution is present.
[4] Technical Animal Rescue
Sometimes wildlife ends up getting trapped in extreme or difficult situations - over and underground spaces and rescuing them from such situations requires fast response, clear strategy, good equipment and most importantly, a well-trained team. Our RESQ DART team responds to these situations and consists of technically strong professional climbers, veterinarians and rescuers who are experienced in wildlife handling, behaviour and safety, for animal and human both. No two technical rescues are the same because there are several factors that keep changing with each rescue. While revisiting strategy, improvisation, proper equipment and a lot of patience results in an animal’s final rescue, these animals are generally released as soon as possible after ensuring they are in good health.
[5] Human-Animal Conflict Mitigation, Education and Awareness
Whether it is assisting the Forest Department in mitigating man-leopard conflict situations or educating individuals to not kill snakes when they accidently enter urban settlements, members of our team conduct awareness in conflict areas to ensure human and wildlife safety. Besides working during a conflict situation, we engage in several preventive activities which involve educating school children as well as adults making them aware about living with wildlife around them and peaceful coexistence. We also proactively engage in conducting training activities with different government departments and local groups to foster teamwork, faster response time and to stay updated about best practices in the field of wildlife treatment and rescue.
Click here to watch RESQ Wildlife Rescue Videos
Wildlife Operations
In order to do work we do, we have a dedicated 24 hour helpline where wildlife cases get reported to our team by the general public or the Forest Department. We have animal ambulances with trained animal rescuers and field staff who respond to wildlife emergencies.
The RESQ Wildlife TTC Team
The RESQ wildlife team consists of Wildlife Rescuers, Rehabilitators, Caretakers and Field Staff. Our team members have different areas of expertise and experience. Some are great with reptiles and birds, some with mammals and some technically strong in rescuing animals of all kinds!
The RESQ Wildlife Treatment Transit Centre
is nested on a hilltop just on the outskirts of Pune City. We have a ICU and nursery where infants or critical animals are stabilized under controlled conditions as well as an operating theatre where surgeries and small procedures are performed. Animal rehabilitation units are of varying sizes and versatile so that they can be enriched and adapted based on the species that will be housed in it.
Wildlife Record and Data Management
When rescued wildlife comes into the RESQ Centre, their details are entered into an Web-based data management system called Fox Data Pro. All their medical records, rehabilitation progress, pictures and videos are logged into the system. The Pune Forest Department has online access to this system and can view the data from a computer or mobile phone with few simple clicks. This system maintains all Forest Department registers electronically, along with summary reports of the work. In addition to providing complete information access and transparency to the Forest Department, the system is also used to generate Release Requests and Transport Permits to easen the process and save resources for the department as well as the organisation.
If you come across any Wildlife Emergency, please call the RESQ Wildlife Helpline on 9172511100