Thane: Dehydrated nilgai rescued in Murbad by NGO and villagers

An adult Nilgai was found in a dehydrated condition on Monday morning near the Murbad town in Thane district. After spotting the animal, which seemed in a state of shock, locals alerted the Forest Department. Subsequently, it was rescued with the help of NGO Ashwamedh Pratishthan and villagers, and shifted to a transit treatment center by the RAWW (Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare).

𝗔𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿

The animal was dehydrated and shocked. It might have lost its way in search of water or while trying to run away from a predator, said RAWW founder Pawan Sharma. It was soon treated, stabilised and kept under observation, he added.

𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲

“The animal – which is the largest antelope of Asia – will either be released into wild if we manage to find its nearest suitable habitat or shifted to Sanjay Gandhi National Park which has provisions for Nilgai,” Sharma said. According to him, such instances would be now quite often owing to the rising temperatures and unpredictable climatic conditions around wildlife habitats. “We will be closely monitoring such areas and be prepared for conducting rescues,” he said.

Nilgais also known as blue bulls are found in several parts of the country, it is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act which criminalises their poaching and consumption of meat.