Mumbai animal & bird rescue helpline

Mumbai has no single animal rescue number — rescue is run area by area by local volunteers and groups. This page lists 32 contacts across 19 areas for both animals and birds. Find your area, then call or WhatsApp that number and say at the start what animal it is. If your area is not listed, the general animal helpline is 8655370005.

Call the rescue contact listed for your area on this page and say immediately that it is a dog or a cat, because not every volunteer handles every species. Give a live location pin, describe what you can see wrong from a safe distance, and do not attempt to pick the animal up yourself.

Mumbai does not have one single bird rescue number — rescue is run area by area by local volunteers. This page lists 32 contacts across 19 areas. Find your area, then call or WhatsApp that number. If your area is not listed, the general animal helpline is 8655370005.

Call the rescue contact listed for your area on this page. Tell them exactly where you are, what kind of bird it is, and what you can see wrong with it. While you wait, keep the bird contained in a closed ventilated box in a dark, quiet place, and do not offer food or water.

Availability varies by area and by volunteer. Some numbers on this page note their hours, and a few operate only on specific dates. If your first call is not answered, try the other numbers listed for your area, then send a WhatsApp message with your location so a volunteer can respond when free.

Put the bird in a ventilated cardboard box lined with a soft cloth and close the lid. Keep it somewhere dark, quiet and warm, away from pets and children. Do not give food or water, do not clean or dress any wound, and do not keep opening the box to check on it.

The directory itself is free to use and needs no account. Calls are charged at your normal mobile tariff. Most of these numbers are personal mobiles belonging to volunteers who rescue in their own time, so please call only about a genuine animal or bird in distress.

Try the nearest listed area first, since many volunteers cover neighbouring localities. Otherwise call the general Mumbai animal helpline on 8655370005, or send a WhatsApp message including your exact location and a photograph of the situation.

Several of these contacts handle animals other than birds, but not all of them do. Say at the start of the call what animal it is. For an injured street dog or cat, do not attempt to pick the animal up yourself — describe the location accurately and wait for a trained rescuer.

Several rescue groups run a vehicle, but coverage is area-specific rather than city-wide and no single number reaches all of them. Call the contact for your area and ask directly whether they can send a vehicle, and say if the animal is large or cannot walk — that is what decides whether a vehicle is needed.

Call a rescue contact for your area and also your municipal or veterinary department, and say clearly that it is a large animal. Cattle cannot be carried in a car and need a sling, several trained people and usually a vehicle with a ramp, so the right equipment has to be sent from the start.

Keep the animal safe from traffic and keep people and pets back, but do not try to pick up an injured dog or cat — pain makes any animal bite, and an untrained lift can worsen a spinal injury. Keep it warm and in sight, give no food, water or painkillers, and stay nearby so the team can find it.