Bird entangled in kite string saved in Gurugram after kids raise alarm

Teams of the fire brigade and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Sunday rescued a brown-headed barbet, which got entangled with a kite string and nearly choked to death, officials said, adding children in the area spotted the struggling bird in a tree after which residents called for help

Teams of the fire brigade and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) on Sunday rescued a brown-headed barbet, which got entangled with a kite string and nearly choked to death, officials said, adding children in the area spotted the struggling bird in a tree after which residents called for help.

Gurugram, India - November 13, 2022: Firefighters and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials saved the rarest species of bird identified as Brown Headed Barbet. The bird got entangled with a kite thread and was gasping for life at Sector 15, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, 13 November 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/ Hindustan Times)

Girish Gupta, a resident of Sector 15 and social activist, who saw the bird around 12pm said, “Some children who were playing outside spotted the bird hanging upside down through the branches of a tall tree in front of a park. We informed the fire station and NHAI officials who provided a sky lifter for the rescue operation.”

Gupta said the teams reached within 15 minutes of his call.

Officials said the children initially thought the bird was just fluttering about in place but after an hour they realised that it was choking and struggling to free itself from the kite string, and informed their parents.

Gulshan Kalra, deputy director (technical), Haryana fire services, who also holds the charge of deputy director (technical), fire station, Sector 29, said that one fire tender and five firefighters were sent to the spot. “It took us 15 minutes to rescue the bird as we had to get the power lines disconnected. The bird was entangled so tightly, it took us some time to open the knots. NHAI officials had provided sky lifters to carry out the operation before the fire teams reached,” he said.

Officials said such cases are usually reported in August around Independence Day when people traditionally fly kites and the strings get suspended on trees and poles, creating a death trap for birds.

Pankaj Gupta, a birder from Delhi, said that the brown-headed barbet is a common bird found around mature trees. “It can be seen in parks near human habitation and it is very vocal and is most often heard than seen. Like any other bird, if found entangled with kite strings, it is better to call in wildlife department as a panicked and straggling bird has a tendency to flutter and aggravate its injury,” he said.