12 bird species at Pilikula Zoo live alone, awaiting companions
Solitary species at zoos often show signs of depression, are harder to manage: Activists
Mangaluru: Amid the vibrant life of Pilikula Biological Park, home to over 1,000 animals and birds, 12 bird species are quietly enduring loneliness, kept without companions, raising concerns about their welfare and the challenges of pairing captive birds.
According to the Pilikula Biological Park’s inventory, as cited by The New Indian Express on Tuesday, the lone birds include the White‑Bellied Sea Eagle, White Scavenger Vulture, Malabar Grey Hornbill, Cockatoo Galah, Sri Lankan Bay Owl, Grey Horned Owl, Blue Rock Pigeon, Fantail Pigeon, Black Swan, Green Turaco, Violet Turaco, and Silver Pheasant.
Activists quoted in the report warn that animals kept without mates often show signs of depression and are harder to manage. One activist also claimed that an Egyptian Vulture has had no companion in the zoo for three years.
“As per the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) guidelines, no animal or bird should be kept without a companion for more than six months, and if not, they must arrange a companion,” TNIE quoted Dinesh Holla, a wildlife activist, as saying.
Raju Kidoor, a conservationist and bird expert, emphasised the emotional stress caused to certain species. He said that White‑Bellied Sea Eagles and Malabar Grey Hornbills are highly family‑oriented birds. “Without companions, we cannot get to see their usual activities. They do not change their companion, hence finding a pair for such birds is not easy,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
Dr Arun Shetty, Commissioner of the Pilikula Development Authority, confirmed that the zoo has submitted a proposal to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) under its animal‑exchange programme to bring in suitable partners for the solitary birds.
He added that some of these birds are rescues that cannot be released into the wild, which makes finding mates more challenging.
On a positive note, Shetty shared that the zoo recently received around 15 new animals through the programme. “The sloth bear at the zoo was without a companion for more than a year. Now, under the animal exchange program, we managed to get a pair of sloth bears. Similarly, we are trying to get mates for other solo animals and birds,” TNIE quoted him as saying.
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Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
