For a peaceful co-existence with wildlife in urban settings

The Hindu

21-05-2025

Jayanthi Kallam, the Executive Director of the Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC) in Horamavu, remembers the person who called the centre to complain about crow attacks in their neighbourhood. On further investigation, she discovered that 'this person has been shooing away the crows, not allowing them to nest around,' she says, pointing out that crows, which are really intelligent animals, remember faces and even pass on the information on 'which face to be friendly with and which face to be careful about.'
She believes that a lot of these issues come about due to a lack of understanding about these animals and their way of life. 'With a better understanding, we would be able to come to a happy resolution both for the animals around us as well for ourselves,' she says, at a recent discussion, titled Interaction with Urban Wildlife, organised by Early Bird, a not-for-profit initiative that works towards spreading the joy of birds and birdwatching among children.
Better understanding
'Fostering a better understanding of the wildlife we live with is essential, as cities are vibrant ecosystems and we see a lot of wildlife using them,' says California-based Shankar Shivappa, an engineer by profession, with a deep and abiding passion for wildlife, whom Jayanthi was in conversation with at the discussion.
'There is a thought that humans are apart from nature, but we are part of nature,' he states at this session, which Amruta Padgaonkar of Early Bird moderated. Living in a city, however, makes it very easy to forget this reality, says Shankar, who grew up in Bengaluru and now lives in San Diego. 'There is a very irregular interaction with nature…animals, birds. And if you consider how many people now live in a city, very few have a daily interaction,' he says. 'We are seeing a lot of children growing up without having direct exposure to nature. To me, that lack of interaction also points to a problem.'
For people to have a better relationship with nature, a better understanding of the problem is necessary. 'As teachers, mentors and birding buddies, we need to figure out ways of understanding why and letting that influence how we can change this interaction,' he says. 'Otherwise, it becomes too complex.'
The focus of this hour-long discussion was to examine the relationship between humans and urban wildlife, including the impact of social media on wildlife rescues, how children can have a better connection with nature, the ethics around feeding of urban wildlife, the issues with the exotic pet trade and why India is becoming a hub for wildlife smuggling. During the discussion, Jayanthi also highlights an important positive despite the many challenges: there are many people sensitive to the animals around them. 'We see a lot of positive interactions happen,' she says, adding that over 80-90 % of the calls ARRC receives are from concerned people wanting to help distressed animals in and around their neighbourhood. 'Wildlife rehabilitation centres exist only because people care about wildlife,' she believes.
Sensitivity to nature
Children are inherently disposed to care about the living things around them, feels Jayanthi. 'Any child would react to a puppy face or a plant…these are things that we inherently have some affinity towards ' Interactions, from then on, both positive and negative, are 'shaped by both knowledge and people's experiences,' she says, But, according to her, adults too have to pull their weight to ensure a more peaceful co-existance. 'We have a shared responsibility to shape these positive interactions,' she says.
Amruta also alludes to the many activities we can facilitate to ensure that we build a long, sustained and strong connection with nature. Take, for instance, bird walks, something Early Bird has been regularly conducting for children. 'When we do bird watching, the intention is to get them to observe more and understand bird behaviour,' she says. 'It brings in a different perspective and attachment.'
She then steers the discussion towards a common conundrum for animal lovers in the city. 'One thing that I have seen quite often is people feeding birds and other animals around us,' she says. And while, of course, the intention behind this is usually very good, 'Are there any negatives to this, given that there are wild animals?' she asks.
Jayanthi says that the question had to be examined from different contexts: legally, ethically and ecologically. 'In India, there is nothing legally wrong with feeding animals, unless it puts an animal in danger,' she says. Ethically, too, she feels that 'as long as you're feeding the right diet and making sure that your feed is clean,' it is fine. However, whether this phenomenon is ecologically good is questionable. Take, for instance, the case of rock pigeons or monkeys, which city dwellers are constantly feeding. 'It comes from a good place: trying to feed a hungry bird. There is nothing wrong with that,' she says. But, 'in our compassionate actions, we shape things, whether ecologically good or not,' she says.
By feeding pigeons, we have ensured that they have proliferated throughout cities, often at the cost of other animals. 'It is not about demonising the pigeons, but our behaviour,' she cautions. Since rock pigeons are so adaptable to human environments, 'by feeding them, you are increasing their populations disproportionately,' she says. Similarly, in the case of monkeys, 'if they suddenly start coming onto balconies and raid and eat, people may consider it a nuisance,' she says. 'This is something we have to consider carefully,' she says.
Instead of periodically tossing out some grain for urban wildlife, a better way to do this, feels Shankar, is to grow plants, which can serve as a food source for urban wildlife. 'It may take some time to put methi seeds in a flat tray with some soil, let it grow and then bring the tray outside for the creatures,' he says, recalling how sparrows would feed on the methi his mother grew in their home garden while he was growing up. 'So, there are ways to do this, with a little effort,' he says. 'This is what the teachers and birding community should encourage…not the easy way, but the right way.'
Pet trade
Amruta, who once received a pet bird as a gift from a friend, then talks about another pressing issue: the ethics and moral dilemma around keeping birds and wild animals as pets. While Jayanthi agrees that there is some confusion around the problem, she reminds the audience that there is no ambiguity when it comes to the laws around wildlife. She says that, according to the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, one cannot keep a wild animal as a pet. 'India has very strong laws for the protection of wildlife,' adding that many people in India do not know about this. 'They end up finding a parakeet or mynah separated from its parents and end up taking care of the bird, keeping it in their homes,' she says. Again, this comes from very good intentions, with the bird often being fed and looked after well, but 'what happens later to that bird is a big question,' she says.
Not only is this illegal, according to Indian laws, but there is also an ethical component to this, states Jayanthi. A bird, which would have otherwise had a very rich life, being forced to live in a cage, 'is not the definition of life,' in her opinion. Also, it will likely imprint on humans, making it almost impossible to survive if it is released back into the wild later. 'It is ethically wrong because this bird now does not have the skills to survive in the wild, nor does it know how to protect itself from predators,' she says.
Ecologically, too, it is not a good idea because they are more likely to contract and spread diseases, she says. 'They are protected by the law, and people should not have them at home,' she reiterates. Also, she has a piece of advice for someone who has a pet wild animal or bird, 'If you have a wild animal centre accessible, submit it to them. If not, contact the forest department, and they will guide you through that.'