Saving Wildlife in The 'World's Most Polluted City'

Animal lovers Mohammad Saud, 33, and Nadeem Shehzad, 37, have spent the last decade nursing injured birds back to health in New Delhi, India - where smog levels have grown out of control.

The pair were inspired to start the rescue centre in 2003 after struggling to find help for an injured bird they came across as teenagers.

They have since looked after thousands of birds and currently have a 170 at their home - including owls, eagles and hawks. Many are victims of the city's chaotic roads and environment.

Mohammad said: “The idea for this initiative came when we found an injured black kite twenty years ago and could not find a place to get it treated. No one cares about them since they are birds of prey.”

One section of their home’s terrace is sectioned into areas for the birds to recover from illness. One part is left uncovered to allow the birds to fly away once they have regained their strength.

Nadeem said: “Annually we receive around 1,500 cases, most injuries are due to glass-coated kite strings, and some have tumours and infections.”

Mohammed added: “We consult doctors, read books or browse the internet about how to treat various kinds of bird injuries.”

They spend nearly £400 a month on medical and nutritional expenses for the birds. Sometimes they receive funds from friends and relatives.

Mohammed said: “We manage all the expenses on our own but we hope to get some more donors.

“These birds need hospitals to treat their ailments, just as humans do.”

Earlier this year the World Health Organisation named Delhi as the world's most polluted city - with air pollution three times that of Beijing.