Pigeons on the Windowsill

In March 2014, a couple of pigeons decided to build a nest on my windowsill. Though pigeons are probably the most common bird in the world, I realized that I didn't know much about them. So, I took this as an opportunity to study their behavior by carefully documenting day-to-day events.

March 2nd - March 4th
The pigeons sat on the windowsill for 6-8 hours each day, making loud cooing noises. I believe that this behavior was to check whether the location was safe from predators. Both pigeons left before nightfall.

March 4th - March 9th
One pigeon started to bring twigs and sticks to the windowsill and the other pigeon would arrange them in overlapping triangles to make the frame of the nest. They would spend the whole day building the nest, and leave by nightfall. By the 9th, the nest was finished.

March 10th
One of the pigeons spent the night sitting in the nest.

March 11th
I checked the nest in the morning and saw a single white egg. It was about 3-4 cm long.

March 12th
A second egg was laid.

March 13th - March 27th
Both pigeons incubated the eggs in 4-6 hour shifts. While one pigeon was sitting on the eggs the other would forage for food. They didn't make much noise at this stage.

 March 28th
The first egg hatched. The chick was covered in yellow hair and no feathers were visible. Its eyes were closed and it didn't make any sounds. It was about the size of a table tennis ball.

March 29th
The second egg hatched. This chick was a little smaller than the first one. The adult pigeons threw the eggshells out of the nest.

March 30th - April 3rd
The pigeons continued to sit on the chicks. They fed them by regurgitating (vomiting) into the chicks' beaks. Adult pigeons produce a protein similar to milk in their crop (the first part of the digestive tract). This protein mixes with whatever the pigeon eats and forms a substance called "crop milk" which is used to nourish the chicks.

April 4th
The chicks opened their eyes. The adults continued to feed them crop milk.

April 6th
The chicks started to cry and beg for food every time an adult came back from foraging.

April 7th - April 17th
The chicks increased in size. Grey feathers started to replace the yellow fuzz, except for on the head.

April 18th
I found the carcass of one of the adult pigeons in the yard outside the window. When I took a closer look, I found that a cat had killed it and eaten its head and organs. I buried the remains. I couldn't tell the gender of the dead bird but the remaining bird continued to care for the chicks, at least one of them. The pigeon was feeding only one of the chicks, the bigger one. It pushed away the smaller chick whenever it begged for food. I think this is because it knew it could not raise both chicks without the help of another pigeon, so it chose to raise only the stronger chick and abandoned the weaker one.

April 19th
The smaller chick died of starvation and its body was left in the nest. The other chick sat right next to it as if it was still alive. The adult pigeon made no effort to remove the carcass from the nest, so I took out the carcass and buried it.

April 24th
The larger chick was trying to learn how to fly so it was walking up to the edge of the windowsill and peeping over, afraid to jump off. Unfortunately, when it finally did decide to jump off, a Black Kite flew out of nowhere and snatched the chick in its talons. The Black Kite is a bird of prey that feeds on small birds, rodents and carcasses.

April 25th
I saw the remaining adult pigeon sitting on the windowsill. It took one last look at the nest and flew away and never came back.

Though this whole episode had been sad and tragic, I'm fortunate to have been able to watch it unfold. It had started off with 2 pigeons, which then became 4 and in the end just 1. This just shows the awe inspiring and unforgiving power of nature. It shows that not every animal story has a happy ending but they are all amazing nonetheless.

Snake Catchers, Charmers and Relocation

Snakes are the subject of many myths, especially to do with religion in India. It is believed that some snakes are bad omens while others are worshiped. The Cobras have it the worst because there is just so much superstition surrounding them. The myths about Cobras are so absurd that they make you question basic common sense. Some examples: 

• Cobras take revenge on people who have seen them so they must be killed on sight. 
• Cobras can hypnotize humans and animals with their eyes. 

It is clear that such feats are impossible, even by an animal that is given so much cultural importance. Nonetheless, that doesn't stop certain people from exploiting the common man's disillusionment about snakes. 

The first thing that comes to mind is the notorious Snake Charmer. 

SNAKE CHARMERS

Any stereotypical portrayal of an Indian marketplace is incomplete without the infamous Snake Charmer and his "deadly" cobra. The masses are enthralled by the charmer's ability to put a dangerous and venomous animal into a trance with exotic music. If they knew the truth everyone would see Snake Charmers for the scumbags they are. Here is the truth:

• The cobras can't hear the Snake Charmer's music. They follow the movement of the flute and react to the vibrations created by the charmer tapping the floor.
• The cobras are about as dangerous as a newborn bunny rabbit. The charmers extract the venom (which they sell at high prices), remove the fangs (usually with regular blades or knives which cause a lot of pain and damage to the snake), and sew the mouth shut (with regular needles and string or wire).
• The cobras which they have are unable to get nutrition or medical aid so their lives are on a clock. The cobras usually die (due to mouth rot or starvation) agonizing deaths within 6 months of their procurement by the charmer. This happens because of infection in their mouths after the defanging and sewing process, after which they are fed milk (also another myth! SNAKES DON'T DRINK MILK!!) through a small gap left in the mouth.

The next question you may ask is- How do the snake charmers get their snakes if they need to replace them every 6 months? Who is providing them with an unlimited supply of snakes to sustain their cruel way of life?

The answer is SNAKE CATCHERS.

SNAKE CATCHERS

Yes. The neighborhood "hero" who comes to the "rescue" every time a snake is spotted in an urban area is the culprit. When asked what they are going to do with the snake after it is caught, the usual reply is "I will leave it in forest." Odds are he is not going to do that. 

Snake catchers are often guilty of the following:

• They sell cobras to snake charmers.
• They are involved illegally in the venom trade.
• They collect several snakes in their own houses. (in violation of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 stating that no person can confine a wild animal without a permit)
• the most horrifying one- They sell the snakes to skin traders who make snakeskin bags and shoes out of the snakes.

RELOCATION

Not all snake catchers are like this. Many actually release the snakes in forests. This, however, is not the solution either. The snakes released in unfamiliar areas often try to get back to their home range and are killed in the process (by vehicles, humans or other animals). They come in conflict with the local wildlife of the area where they are released and this is a huge problem as snakes are highly territorial. 

Releasing a snake in some random habitat is like dropping a regular person in the middle of war-torn Afghanistan and asking them to survive.

The solution to the human-snake conflict is to live and let live. Humans and snakes can live side by side without conflict if a few precautions are taken. The truth is that snakes are very afraid of us and will avoid a confrontation if they can.

Finding Homes for Stray Pups

In India, stray dogs are a common sight. One day in April 2013, I noticed that a female dog that lives outside the gates of my housing complex was constantly going in and out of a bush at periodic intervals. I decided to investigate this peculiar behavior and as I got closer to the bush I heard whimpering sounds. When I looked inside the bush, I was surprised to find a litter of 10 pups about a month old. I quietly moved away and observed from a distance. From that day on I saw the mother and pups every morning as I waited for my school bus. A few days later, I reached the bus stop to find only 9 pups. I searched for the missing pup but I couldn't find it anywhere. The missing pup was the smallest one of the litter and I realized that it must have died. At that moment I decided that I was going to help the pups. Three things led me to make that decision: 1) the mother was much too undernourished to be able to nurse all 9 pups, 2) I wasn't ready to see any more pups die, 3) the life of a stray dog is a hard one, and if I could save even a few animals from living that life, I would. 

The next day after I came home from school, I collected 9 pups in a cardboard box and brought them home. At this time my parents were off on vacation so I didn't have to debate with anyone over taking in the pups. I cleaned the pups with antiseptic soap and gave them some warm milk to drink, and then put them in an old 4x3 foot rabbit crate. My parents soon came home and were surprised to find the pups. They weren't happy about it but they finally agreed to house the pups until we found homes for them. Now it was time to do just that.

                                    

I sent an email about the pups to the community mailing list asking if anyone wanted to adopt one. I put pictures on all the local animal welfare sites. And of course on facebook too. Soon, many kids in the community came knocking to play with the pups and many even convinced their parents to let them take one. Within the first week 3 pups were adopted: 2 in the community and 1 by someone who had seen pictures on a website. Sometime during the second week, I got a call from a man named Gopi who said he would take all 9 pups. He said he was a part of an organization which raised stray dogs to live inside gated housing complexes. I told him that I had 6 left and that they were 5 weeks old. He said he was looking for older pups, at least 2 months old. I remembered that I had seen another litter of pups on the street nearby. These pups were around 3 months old and there were 8 of them. I told him that I would get those pups for him and he agreed. I went out and caught all 8 of those pups with my friends and brought them home. When Gopi's people came they said that they would take 5 of the 8. They took 4 males and 1 female and my friends and I released the other 3 females where we found them.

Through the next few days 4 pups were adopted. One man said that someone had stolen a litter of puppies from his pet Rottweiler that was lactating. He said his dog was not eating because she had no pups to feed so he took the smallest pup home. 2 were adopted by a family who lives in my complex and the other was adopted by a woman who wanted to adopt a stray pup.

By the end of the third week, I had only 2 pups left with me: 1 male and 1 female. I had told my vet to spread the word about the pups and I got a call from a man named Ajit who wanted the male pup as his son's birthday present. I had only one pup to home on the 4th week and I was actively posting on all the pet forums. Everything had gone really well the last few weeks but all good things come to an end. I got a call from one of my neighbors who had adopted a pup on the first week. She said that her daughter had had an allergic reaction to the pup and they wanted to return it. So now I was left with 2 female pups and I needed to find homes for them before the next week as I was leaving town for a few days. At this time there was another litter of pups in the same place where I had found the first litter. This litter had a healthy-looking mother and there were only 6 of them, so I didn't feel the need to take them in. That week, I got a call from someone who wanted a male pup. I had 2 females with me but I remembered the new litter. I told the guy that I would give him a male pup so I picked up a male from the new litter and gave it to him.

I needed to find homes for the 2 female pups quickly so I tried everything. Finally a gardener who worked in my community took 1 but I could not find a home for the other one. Time was running out so I put that pup outside the gate and instructed the security guards to feed it periodically.

I still see that pup from time to time. Although now it is no longer a pup. It lives in a pack along with its mother and has a healthy fear of humans now. I also see the 2 pups that were adopted by my neighbors.

That is the story of how I found homes for 14 pups in one month.

Hide and Seek with a Squirrel

It was a sunny day in February in 2013. I was taking an afternoon nap with my balcony door open. When I woke up it was around 6ish so i shut the balcony door and went to check my phone. As I walked towards my table I was surprised by a rustling sound coming from under the bed. I took a look and found a baby squirrel quivering in the corner. This animal wasn't the large, bushy-tailed, grey squirrel you find in America. It was an Indian Palm Squirrel, which looks more like a chipmunk. I thought it was a helpless and harmless creature so I reached forward to pick it up. Apparently it had other ideas, because it darted away from my hand and made for my closet. Picking up that this was no helpless infant, I grabbed a butterfly net to pursue it. After an animated half-an-hour chase I had finally caught the little guy. I took some time to inspect the squirrel and deduced that it was a 1-2 month old male. I knew that squirrels are strictly diurnal (active during the day) animals so releasing it was not an option as it was already dark. I decided to wait till the next morning to release it. I put some dried grass and some moist cotton in a cardboard box, and then poked some air holes in the box. I then tried transferring the squirrel into the box but it nipped at my finger, trying to bite me. I put on some thick snow gloves and put the squirrel into the box. I kept the box in my room overnight.

The next morning I decided to check on the squirrel so I opened the box and peeked inside. Suddenly the squirrel jumped through the gap, ran up my arm and leaped behind the bookshelf. I looked for him but evidently he had disappeared. Luckily my room door was closed so I knew he couldn't have gotten out. I called my parents in and we proceeded to turn my room inside out looking for the squirrel. We emptied the bookshelves, moved aside all the furniture and checked in every possible place, but we just couldn't find him. Finally we decided to wait it out. I went into my room periodically hoping to see some movement or hear some noise. In the mean time, we could all hear the high pitched squeaks of an adult squirrel outside our house. That cleared my doubts about whether our squirrel was an orphan. Around 1:00 in the afternoon, I went into my room again to find the baby squirrel climbing on the balcony window. I quickly opened the window and the squirrel jumped to freedom. In about 10 minutes the high pitched squeaks stopped, possibly indicating that the baby had found its mother.

My suspicions were confirmed the next day when I saw the mother and baby running together on the roof of my house. This whole episode just goes to show that animals don't need humans as much as we think they do. Apart from keeping the squirrel safe for one night, I did virtually nothing. The baby relied purely on its instincts to find its mother and everything worked out perfectly. I still see that squirrel around my house sometimes, climbing a tree or scaling a wall. I can tell it's him because he has a slightly crooked tail. Now he's almost an adult and soon he may have babies of his own. 

Nature knows what it's doing but sometimes it needs a little help from us. It's our job to do just what is needed; no more, no less.

Baby Birds That Fall Out of Nests

We often find baby birds on the ground in springtime. This means that they have fallen out of a nest nearby. Since the bird's parents are unable to put their baby back into the nest, it is up to us to locate the nest and place the bird back. HOWEVER, this should only be done if the bird is very young and unable to move around by hopping or flying.

For example, if the bird is pink and featherless, or its eyes are still closed, PLACE IT BACK IN THE NEST. At this stage it depends entirely on its parents for food and protection.

                                     

If the bird is feathered and it can move around on its own, LEAVE IT. This means it is a fledgling. At this stage it hops around, attempting to fly, while its parents keep an eye on it from nearby, feeding and protecting it.

                                     

It is a MYTH that parent birds abandon their chicks if they smell human scent on them. The fact is that birds don't have a very good sense of smell and they cannot detect that a human has touched their baby. However, the birds may get spooked if they see a human touching their nest or babies. This may result in them abandoning the nest but scent has nothing to do with it. Just remember, if you're going to touch a nest or a chick make sure the parent birds aren't in the vicinity.

   

Sometimes, it isn't possible it return a "dependent" bird to its nest either because the nest was destroyed or because the parents were killed. When this happens, humans need to intervene. You can take the bird to a wildlife rehabilitator or rescue organization. You can choose to care for it yourself if nothing else is possible, but make sure you find out as much as you can about caring for the animal.

Preventing Snake Bites

Most people in India are terrified of snakes for a variety of reasons. Nearly 46,000 people in India die due to snake bites every year so this is justified. That being said, each of those bites could have been have been prevented by taking a few precautions. 

Statistics show that 39% of the people bitten by snakes were bitten while they were handling the animal or trying to kill it. 

The other 61% were bitten on their hands or feet by accident. Majority of these bites occur when people are walking barefoot outside when it's dark. Thus a large portion of the victims of snakebites are people living in rural areas.

The following precautions can be taken to prevent snakebites:

• Never try to handle or kill any snake. If the snake is trapped inside your house or something, call a professional to remove it. In any other situation, leave the snake alone and it will go away.
• Familiarize yourself with the dangerous species of snakes and maintain extra caution when near them.
• When walking outside in gardens or forests, always wear shoes.
• When walking at night, always carry a flashlight.
• When moving things such as haystacks, wood piles and debris which has been kept outside, maintain caution.
• Always keep snake anti-venom at home in case of an emergency. A single anti-venom is available in India which works on all venomous snakebites.                                              



Anti-venom available in India

My First Snake Capture

India has a plethora of snake species and these snakes come in contact with humans very often. The general reaction when people see a snake is fear. Some people immediately try to kill the snake while others respect it enough to give it some space. Being an animal lover, I am appalled by this first category of people. 

At the beginning of monsoon season in Bangalore, human-snake interactions are very frequent. One Spring 6 snakes were killed in 2 weeks, IN MY OWN COMMUNITY!

This was a wake up call for me. I immediately started finding out as much as I could about snakes and actively campaigning for their well-being. I learned how to identify the different species and studied basic capturing techniques. There are professional "snake catchers" that you can call to remove snakes from an area but most are shady. These guys are money minded so instead of releasing the snakes they catch, they sell them to snake charmers or sell their skins.

One day I was with my dog, Paws, in my backyard when Paws randomly started barking at one corner of the wall. There was a greenish-black snake moving on the ground! 

I had seen snakes near my house before but that was before I knew so much about them. My fear was replaced by excitement. I put a large bucket over it to prevent it from going into my neighbor's yard. I wanted to confirm that it wasn't a venomous species before I handled it and I confirmed that it was either a Rat Snake or a Keelback  -both harmless. I made a snake hook out of a coat hanger and a bamboo stick and went out to get the snake.

 

I caught the snake, with its tail in my left hand and its neck in the snake hook, and put it into a large empty garbage can. I inspected it further and found that it was a 3 foot long male. I didn't want to release it where I found it because it would find its way onto someone else's property and they would have it killed. I waited till my Dad came home and asked him what to do. He told me to release it outside the community, close to lake less than a kilometer from my house. We took the garbage can with the snake out of the gate and walked to the lake. I released it with the hook and watched it disappear into the undergrowth.

This incident inspired me to seriously think about snake conservation. Later, I had the honor of meeting Mr. Romulus Whitaker, the leading authority on Indian snakes. He told me that the relocation model wasn't the best one as snakes often traveled long distances to get back to their old territories. He said that the best thing to do is let the snake be where it is, if it isn't an immediate threat. The logic was that since snakes are afraid of humans, if it is unlucky enough to be seen once, it is unlikely to do it again. Mr. Whitaker told me that it was probable that the snake I had released came back to my house. 

I had 2 more encounters with wild snakes after this. I saw a 6 foot Rat Snake in my front yard and I decided to let it go. 2 months after that a cobra was cornered in my neighbor's house and they called a snake catcher to take it away. My neighbors were not ready to let it be and I wasn't allowed to handle it as it was venomous. I couldn't do anything but watch as the snake catcher caught it and took it away in a sack.