Firefighters say animal rescues more taxing than fires as dept receives two calls per day

Panaji: The fire and emergency department’s role has grown more challenging as it daily receives at least one or two calls for animal rescue. Firefighters say that they find these tasks more taxing than dousing fires or removing uprooted trees.“Removing a buffalo from a well can be tricky due to its heft. A cat will likely turn irritable, making rescue difficult,” said Shripad Gawas, divisional officer, North Zone of the fire and emergency department. “Since you can’t predict how an animal will behave, rescue needs to be done tactfully,” he said.“The task to remove the animal from a well is taken up only after it is calmed,” he said, adding that aggressive animals can jeopardise the rescue. Since cattle are left unattended, they sometimes find themselves in difficult situations, he said.Over the last three months, the department received 210 calls for animal rescue, averaging two calls a day. “We don’t attend to all calls, our response depends on the nature of the situation. The motive is to successfully rescue, irrespective of challenges,” Gawas said. He added that when the fire department is called to rescue a wild animal that is trapped, they call for assistance from the forest department.