The feathered creatures are kept in quarantine, sometimes for several weeks, until they are fit to be released.
Zaheer Ahmed said the center can receive up to 30 calls a day in summer from locals about endangered wild animals, including birds, adding that its main priorities are providing medical care, food and water. PHOTO: AFP
Holding an Asian koel in his hands, wildlife officer Zaheer Ahmed gently stretched its wings as part of a medical check-up to rehabilitate birds affected by dehydration or heatstroke in Islamabad.
Pakistan, one of the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, experienced its second warmest year since 1960 in 2025, according to government data.
This photograph shows wildlife officer Zaheer Ahmed (right) treating an injured kite at the Margallah Wildlife Rescue Center in Islamabad on July 7, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
Temperatures in Islamabad this summer have exceeded 40°C.
“In the past, due to kite flying, the string would damage their wings,” said Sakhawat Ali, director of the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board, which oversees the Margallah Wildlife Rescue Center in Islamabad.
“But over the last year or two, most of the cases we’ve received involve birds that are dehydrated and suffering from heat stress.”
The wildlife rescue centre, located at the foot of the Margalla Hills, was once the site of the famous Islamabad Zoo, where abandoned elephants and malnourished lions were kept in cages.
Kites resting inside a cage at the Margallah Wildlife Rescue Center in Islamabad, July 7, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
The zoo was closed in 2020.
On the overgrown grounds, where large dinosaur sculptures still stand, wild animals have been brought for rehabilitation from across Pakistan, including bears and monkeys abused by their private owners.
A wildlife officer, Zaheer Ahmed, prepares a rehydration drink for birds at the Margallah Wildlife Rescue Center in Islamabad, on July 7, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
Scientists warn that extreme weather events, such as heat waves, are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of human-induced climate change.
Ahmed said the center can receive up to 30 calls a day in summer from locals about endangered wildlife, including birds, adding that its top priorities are providing medical care, food and water.
The feathered creatures are kept in quarantine, sometimes for several weeks, until they are fit to be released.
The birds face an increased threat from wildfires, which can overlap with their breeding seasons, Ahmed said.
A pigeon drinking from a bowl of water in Islamabad, July 10, 2026. PHOTO: AFP
“The birds’ nests are also burned. The birds themselves also burn a little,” says Ahmed. “So their entire habitat is being destroyed.”
Ali encouraged residents to place water bowls for their friendly birds to drink, bathe and stay cool.
The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board is investigating whether climate change is altering the birds’ breeding seasons and food sources, which could decrease their populations.
