In August, kites, migration season lethal mix for birds

Some 100 birds were treated for wounds from manjha at Jain Bird Hospital in Chandni Chowk on August 15-16. While the figure may have dropped slightly from last year, where over 120 injured birds were treated, the figure still remains high.

Despite a ban on kite strings coated with ground glass, locally known as Chinese manjha, hundreds of birds were killed or injured in Delhi on August 15, when a large number of people fly kites, a traditionally festive pastime on Independence Day.

The coated manjha not only pose an immediate threat but also can remain entangled in trees where migratory birds come and perch after August, posing a serious risk to several species throughout the winter, experts said. (ANI)

Pigeons and crows were the most common birds reported injured, but a large number of black kites also fell victim to the sharp strings.

Some 100 birds were treated for wounds from manjha at Jain Bird Hospital in Chandni Chowk on August 15-16. While the figure may have dropped slightly from last year, where over 120 injured birds were treated, the figure still remains high, said Dr Haravtar Singh Samra, a doctor at the hospital.

“The injured birds mainly included pigeons, crows and kites,” Dr Sarma said. “In most cases, the bird dies due to the shock or due to loss of blood, while some birds are not able to fly again.” To be sure, the charitable hospital receives all kinds of birds, but does not treat birds of prey such as kites. These are mainly sent to the Wildlife Rescue Centre in North Delhi’s Wazirabad.

A majority of the raptors that are injured during this time of the year are black kites, according to Nadeem Shehzad at Wildlife Rescue, a bird hospital in north Delhi . Wildlife Rescue has also reported injured shikras (a small bird of prey), barn owls, spotted owlets and a black-headed ibis, which had its throat slit open by manjha.

“This year, there has been an overall increase in the number of cases in August as compared to last year, and despite a ban on manjha, there appears to be no let-off in its use,” said Shehzad.

The coated manjha not only pose an immediate threat but also can remain entangled in trees where migratory birds come and perch after August, posing a serious risk to several species throughout the winter, experts said.

Last year, at least two instances of the Eurasian hobby, a small falcon, getting injured by manjha were reported from the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, while a northern shoveller (a kind of duck) also had to have its wing amputated after getting entangled in the dangerous thread near Okhla, according to Nikhil Devasar of the Delhi Bird Foundation.

“We took the shoveller to the Delhi zoo and the bird had to have its wing get amputated, but it was unable to survive,” Devasar said. “Birds start making their move in late August, but the problem is most trees around birding grounds such as Sultanpur, Okhla or Chandu, for instance, have manjha stuck on them. When these birds start arriving, they are often caught in the sharp strings.”

In most cases, the injured birds are found entangled or discovered with their wings damaged for up to 2-3 days after Independence Day, with bird hospitals and non-profits receiving a steady number of distress calls.

PETA India catered to over 20 calls from the national capital region in the past 24 hours through its emergency number, and treated 14 pigeons, five kites, two crows and one barn owl. “Among these, several succumbed to their injuries. In addition to its horrific toll on birds, the sharp manjha is injurious and even deadly to humans and damages electrical cables,” said Farhat Ul Ain, advocacy associate at PETA India.

Wildlife SOS, another NGO, said it is currently treating a painted stork and a pigeon rescued in the past 24 hours, both of which received manjha-related cuts.