Stung by accusations of causing injuries to snakes during rescue operations, the fire and emergency wing attached to the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has asked citizens to approach the control room of the forest ranger (Mumbai) on 8104926313 or dial 24x7 toll free Hello Forest helpline-1926 directly in case of emergencies or to lodge complaints or get information about a variety of issues related to forests and wildlife.
In response to the accusations related to attending calls and catching wild animals without permission, MBMC’s deputy commissioner-Maruti Gaikwad, has dashed off an official letter to the forest department that henceforth, the fire brigade personnel will not entertain the calls and instead pass the information to the ranger’s office about any type of calls related to spotting of wild animals like snakes or monkeys in the twin-city.
However, apart from raising concerns over the safety of snakes due to injuries caused by putting them in a single box, the contents of the letter by the forest ranger directs MBMC’s fire brigade to inform them before carrying out any rescue operations. However, the MBMC in its press release has asked citizens to directly approach the forest rangers office on the above stated helpline numbers.