Imagine living in Delhi, with fast-paced city life bordered by wetlands. What do you do if you wake up to find a crocodile in your bedroom? Cobra under your sink? What about a leopard prowling your factory floor?
You know what to do – you call Wildlife SOS’s rescue hotline.
24/7 response
The hotline is actually called the ‘Rapid Response Unit’ and in rescue, time is essential. The hotline is open 24/7, because no one should have to reach voicemail when they have a problem!
The operators have a big responsibility. Their first task is to keep the caller calm, to find out more about the animal they’re having an issue with.
Next, they can often educate the caller on how to treat the animal they’ve found. For injured animals that don’t pose a risk, hotline operators can tell them how to make them comfortable until the Wildlife SOS team arrives. If it’s a dangerous animal, the operator will normally warn them to keep their distance instead of handling the situation themselves. This keeps both the caller and the animal in need as safe as possible.
Wildlife SOS
Wildlife SOS are an Indian non-profit devoted to helping people and animals co-exist in harmony. As well as running this hotline, they work on anti-poaching measures, rescue animals being exploited, and rehome these animals in sanctuaries where they can be free again.
They are often called in by police and governments for their expertise in animal conflicts, as well as in seizing and releasing animals confiscated from smugglers. One call to Wildlife SOS can sometimes save thousands of animals. Once, they seized a truck in Delhi containing over a thousand geese being illegally transported.
To learn more, visit the Wildlife SOS website and consider donating to their amazing work.
