Srinagar, Nov. 5 -- A wetland can shelter millions of birds, but what happens when one falls injured? Who examines it, treats it, or decides whether it can return to the wild? These are not hypothetical questions. They go to the heart of conservation. Recent disclosures reveal a troubling gap: the division responsible for managing Kashmir's wetlands, rescuing wildlife and responding to animal emergencies has no veterinary facility and no veterinarian on its rolls.

This absence stands in sharp contrast to the scale of responsibility the wetlands division carries. Kashmir's notified wetlands support one of the largest concentrations of migratory birds in the region. Millions of birds arrive from different parts of the world each winter. Th...