It is around 11 a.m. on a warm winter day. In an inconspicuous, quiet sanctuary near a mammoth, well-known hospital complex in Kengeri in west Bengaluru, it is feeding time for three babies — a Bonnet Macaque, an Indian Palm Squirrel, and a Scaly Breasted Munia. A volunteer carefully carries the Bonnet Macaque, wrapped in cloth, in one arm and feeds the animal with a syringe. Another volunteer brings out the crates with the squirrel and bird, and feeds them tiny amounts of food one by one.
These animals, along with several others being rehabilitated at the People for Animals (PfA) Wildlife Hospital, were rescued from in and around Bengaluru.
Increasing urbanisation, metro construction, rising traffic, and pollution are pushing wildlife out of their natural spaces, and leading to more conflict and injuries in Bengaluru. Rescue centre personnel in the city, as well as experts, inform that the number of rescue calls has gone up in recent times.
What should you do when you come to encounter urban wildlife?
Keep distance and stay calm.Do not feed, give water, or touch the animal unnecessarily.
If it’s safe, gently cover the animal with a cloth and place it in a ventilated cardboard box until help arrives.
Do not use sticks, take selfies, or attempt to handle wildlife, especially snakes or birds of prey — many people get bitten or scratched this way.
The safest and most responsible step is to call trained rescuers immediately and wait for guidance rather than attempting to manage the situation alone. This ensures both the animal’s safety and the person’s.
Source: PfA Wildlife Hospital, Bengaluru
Col. Dr. Navaz Shariff, General Manager and Chief Wildlife Veterinarian, PfA Wildlife Hospital, Bengaluru, said, “The number of urban wildlife rescue calls in and around Bengaluru has been increasing. We also receive many manja-related cases, as glass-coated kite threads continue to be used and seriously harm birds. In addition, habitat loss, reduced tree cover, and shrinking wetlands are forcing animals to enter residential areas more often.
“On the positive side, public awareness has improved. More people now know how to report injured wildlife, which also contributes to the rise in rescue calls,” he said.
Species rescued and hotspots
Which are the species that they rescue the most, and from where?
“We receive rescue reports for a wide variety of animals, but the most commonly reported species are Black Kites and snakes. So far, we have rescued around 11,000 Black Kites, and the majority of these cases are due to manja injuries. We have responded to approximately 12,000 snake cases, mainly involving Spectacled Cobras and Rat Snakes. Other animals rescued include around 4,000 Three-Striped Palm Squirrels and about 3,000 Bonnet Macaques (as of October 2025),” said Col. Shariff.
Ashritha Carlo, Senior Veterinarian, Avian and Reptile Rehabilitation Centre (ARRC), also said there has been a steady year-on-year rise in rescue calls, and the increase this year has been particularly significant.
She too said a major contributor has been manja-related casualties. “In October alone, cases rose by 89%, and in November by 54% compared to the previous year. In 2025, we have already rescued over 8,000 animals, of which nearly 3,000 were manja cases. By comparison, in 2024, we rescued 7,880 animals, including 2,646 manja victims.”
Carlo said that the extended Dasara break led to unusually high kite-flying, coinciding with the breeding season of Black Kites, a time when adults repeatedly fly into dense canopies and tall structures while nest-building and feeding chicks, making them especially vulnerable to entanglement. “This year, manja injuries have been recorded in species we rarely encounter, such as Booted Eagles, Mottled Wood Owls, Black-headed Ibises, and Greater Cormorants.”
BENGALURU KARNATAKA 11/12/2025 : *FOR SPOTLIGHT* Squirrel Rescue and Rehabilitation at People for Animals (PFA) Wildlife Hospital, before releasing them back to the wild showcasing extensive efforts in wildlife rescue, in Bengaluru on December 11, 2025. Photo MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Collision-related injuries have increased, particularly among migratory birds, she said. Over the past two months, species including Fork-tailed Drongo Cuckoos, Indian Pittas, Buttonquails, Grey-bellied Cuckoos, Blue-capped Rock Thrushes, and Blue Rock Thrushes were brought in after striking reflective or transparent glass structures. “Many migrant birds fly at night, and are drawn off-course by city lights, making urban buildings especially hazardous,” she added.
ARRC also observed more large mammals straying into the city. Several spotted deer were rescued from temples, highways, and wells.
The major hotspots in Bengaluru with the highest volume of calls, Shariff said, are Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Vijayanagar, Jayanagar, Kengeri, J.P. Nagar, and Rajajinagar. “These areas have dense human activity, rapid development, and shrinking natural spaces, which increases interactions between people and wildlife — and in turn, rescue calls,” he added.
Subiksha Venkatesh, Lead Rehabilitator from ARRC, added that birds dominate rescues: Black Kites, Barn Owls, crows, barbets, bulbuls, and mynas, as well as waterbirds such as pond herons and night herons. “Their prevalence reflects both their abundance in urban areas and the threats they face,” she said.
“Neighbourhoods such as Shivajinagar, Cubbon Park, Lalbagh, Austin Town, Ulsoor, Jayanagar, R.T. Nagar, and Hebbal record some of the highest cases. These areas have a combination of heavy human density and activity, buildings, dense tree cover, and open spaces — all of which contribute to higher human-wildlife interactions,” she pointed out.
Co-incidentally, according to a year-long camera-trap survey by Holématthi Nature Foundation (HNF), led by conservation biologist Dr. Sanjay Gubbi, the forests and scrublands around Bengaluru have an estimated 80–85 wild leopards, and the city surpasses Mumbai’s documented population of around 54 leopards.
The foundation not only stated that Bengaluru is a large metropolis with the highest known number of free-ranging big cats, but also the only metro whose fringes continue to support an ensemble of tigers, leopards, dholes, elephants, gaur, sambar and other large mammals.
Beyond the large carnivores
Urban wildlife is often mistaken to be limited to leopards, snakes and kites, but experts tell you to look out for more commonly spotted ones that are often ignored.
“Historically, the city has been home to a diverse range of wildlife. For instance, there is a 10th-century monument inside the Indian Institute of Science campus, known as a ‘Huli bete’ veeragallu, a hero stone commemorating the slaying of a tiger. In recent years, encounters with leopards have also become increasingly frequent. However, urban wildlife should not just evoke images of large carnivores. The smaller creatures, such as the harmless shrew, the barn owl that catches rodents at night, the squirrel that scurries across our balcony, the shrieking call of the slender loris, or the house crow, are all forms of urban wildlife,” said Seshadri K.S., ecologist and faculty member at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Bengaluru.
While some species have adapted to living among humans, much of urban wildlife today is confined to parks, wetlands, and institutional campuses, which are the remnants of green spaces in the city, he said.
Bengaluru’s unique position
The vast range of urban wildlife in Bengaluru can be attributed to its unique positioning. “Bengaluru is among the few cities in India that are surrounded by two protected areas: the Bannerghatta National Park to the south and the newly formed Hessarghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve, in the north,” said Seshadri.
Col. Shariff adds that Bengaluru also stands out because its urban growth and environmental changes are still accelerating, unlike many other large cities where expansion has slowed.
“The city’s population, now estimated at over 14 million, is rising every year and contributing to increasing traffic, construction pressure, and pollution. Rapid urbanisation has also led to a sharp decline in natural spaces. Studies show Bengaluru’s built-up area has more than doubled over the last three decades, while tree cover and urban forest patches continue to shrink. As the city continues to grow rapidly, natural habitats are being disturbed and fragmented, leading to more displaced wildlife and more human-animal interactions,” he said.
T.V. Ramachandra from the Center of Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, expanded on this: “Unplanned urbanisation leading to urban expansion — encroaching buffer zones of eco-sensitive regions such as Bannerghatta National Park and Cauvery Sanctuary — and decline in the animal habitat is the prime reason for human-animal conflicts. Too many townships, industries, roads, mining, and dumping of city solid wastes, in the buffer zones have fragmented animal habitats. Naturally, animals stray into human habitations in search of food, fodder and water. Almost 87% of the city landscape is covered with paved surfaces apart from urban sprawl happening in the buffer zones.”
Encroachments, conflicts and challenges
Those living around Bannerghatta National Park, and those fighting for its conservation, raised alarm about the threats faced by the park.
“Man–animal conflict around Bannerghatta National Park has significantly increased in recent years. There have been multiple instances of leopard deaths and frequent leopard sightings, including sightings of leopards with cubs near human settlements. Elephants have been raiding ragi fields, leading to substantial crop loss. There have been fatal encounters with elephants, resulting in human deaths. There have been instances of Indian bison straying into layouts, destroying property and coming into direct contact with residents,” said a member of the Bannerghatta Nature Conservation Trust.
The rise in conflict is largely due to increasing anthropogenic pressure around the protected area, the member said.
“The key reasons include lack of enforcement in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ). The ESZ Monitoring Committee has not regularly audited or monitored violations. Although the ESZ was finally notified in 2020, the required Zonal Master Plan is still not prepared, leading to unplanned and unregulated land use. Parts of the ESZ have been reduced in order to accommodate developmental and commercial interests, shrinking buffer zones essential for wildlife safety. There is 24/7 traffic through roads cutting across the National Park, disturbing wildlife movement and increasing the likelihood of animal–vehicle collisions,” said the member.
He pointed to unapproved real estate developments coming up right along the boundary of the national park, and in pockets inside areas such as Ragihalli and Shivanahalli, as well as projects like the Peripheral Ring Road (PPR) and the Gottigere–Begur Business Corridor fragmenting wildlife corridors and shrinking the ESZ.
Ramachandra called for immediate action: decongesting Bengaluru, and stopping ‘illogical projects’.
On the other hand, Seshadri termed urbanisation an ongoing process. “A few years ago, my colleagues and I studied how the Rock Agama is disappearing from the city, and we found that the presence of rocks and temperature were important drivers. Whatever Rock Agama’s that are left, often get crushed on the road by passing vehicles. Recently, we examined the status of amphibians in the city and found 11 species across the city. Interestingly, we did not find a sharp difference in the number of species between the wetlands in the city centre and those far away. However, we documented signs of degradation, with wetlands contaminated by sewage and garbage strewn around. While suitable habitats exist, they are often sub-optimal, and we suspect it’s only a matter of time before the frogs get eliminated from the most urbanized areas,” he said, offering an example.
The point is, he said, urbanisation cannot be stopped. What we need to do is step up and plan our cities better, making them livable not merely in terms of better roads and clean air, but also putting in the effort to ensure the integrity of our ecosystems is not compromised.
Misconceptions
Rescuers say that ultimately, protecting urban wildlife requires a shift in mindset — one grounded in co-existence.
“Misconceptions also shape perceptions of certain species. Bats and owls are often feared as carriers of disease, or seen as bad omens, when in fact they play a vital role in controlling insects, pollinating plants, and dispersing seeds. Snakes, meanwhile, often trigger panic because of the fear of bites. Most urban encounters, however, are purely accidental. Snakes generally avoid humans and will flee if given the chance, all while quietly helping to control rodent populations and maintain ecological balance,” said Subiksha.
Overall, the biggest misconception is that these animals are a threat or don’t belong in cities — when in reality, they are an important part of the urban ecosystem. “As natural spaces shrink, animals are adapting to survive, and coexistence is both possible and necessary,” concluded Col. Shariff.
