2 days ago
Bird injuries from kite strings could go up during long weekend, say vets
New Delhi: On Saturday afternoon, a pigeon was flying gracefully in Chandni Chowk when suddenly, a razor-sharp kite string appeared out of nowhere. As the thread caught its wing and sliced deep into the flesh, the bird, badly injured, fell to the ground.
The story repeats itself every year around Independence Day, with many birds sustaining fatal injuries too after getting entangled in kite strings, especially Chinese manjha. So far this year, while there have been fewer cases due to rain, veterinarians believe the number could go up by Monday as many people will fly kites during the long weekend.
Jain Bird Hospital in Chandni Chowk said it had received more than 25 cases of birds sustaining injuries after coming in contact with kite strings.
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"Last year, we received about 50 such cases on Aug 15. As there was intermittent rain on Friday noon, fewer people flew kites this time. However, by evening, after the rain stopped, many people started bringing injured birds to our hospital. We expect the cases to go up during the next 48 hours," said Dr Haravtar Singh from Jain Bird Hospital. The injured birds included pigeons, kites and crows, he added.
The hospital said in many of the cases, when birds struggle to free themselves from the kite string, they become even more entangled, leading to further injury.
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The sharp strings can sever veins, causing significant blood loss. In many cases, the birds collapse from shock, said Singh.
On Friday, Wildlife Rescue, a bird rehabilitation centre catering mostly to raptors in Wazirabad, rescued 18 birds, including egrets and kites, that had sustained injuries. Of these, 13 had deep cut wounds. In comparison, the centre had rescued 15 birds last year.
Mohd Saud, co-founder of Wildlife Rescue, said they expect the cases of bird injuries to rise further during the weekend, when more people would be flying kites.
Singh advised people that if they find an injured bird, they should handle them carefully. "Sometimes people hold an injured bird too tightly, especially around the abdomen, which can lead to hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen. Instead, birds should be handled gently and transported in a shoebox or cardboard carton with small air holes. It's important to avoid using plastic bags, as birds cannot breathe properly inside them," said Singh.
In 2017, the Delhi environment department imposed a complete ban on the sale, production, storage, supply, import and use of kite-flying thread made of nylon, plastic or any other synthetic material, including Chinese manjha, and any string that is made sharp by being laced with glass, metal or other materials. However, despite the ban, Chinese manjha continues to be available in the market.
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