Monday 21 January 2013

Charity Birds Hospital, Delhi

The Jains are a religious people who believe in the sanctity of all life, no matter how trivial. In Old Delhi, they run a lovely little hospital dedicated to the rehabilitation of birds. Not exotic or unusual birds, but any birds. Have an injured pigeon in your neighborhood? Bring it in.

The hospital is next to the Jain temple at the end of Chandni Chowk Road near the Red Fort.


The cute sign out front. Heading into one of the cages.
Looking down one of the main hallways of the hospital, cages on both sides.


Above the cages the Jains have painted a series of vignettes to illustrate some of the reasons birds end up at the hospital. Mean ceiling fans and humans with slingshots. Those birds are awfully big!

Another illustration, this time a nice rabbit minding his own business, chomping some greens and reds, but also getting bitten by a dog. Graphic. The bird angle is elusive to us.


Two more details of the hospital, rows of cages and the most impressive patient, a peacock.

2 comments:

  1. What a unique place to visit. Do you know how many birds they treat usually or how long they tend to stay?

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  2. It's completely random. People bring birds, mostly pigeons, and they care for them. Once they can fly again, they release them.

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