Kite-flying: Over 250 birds injured in four days, vets and NGOs report spike ahead of Independence Day

As kite-flying traditionally peaks in the run-up to Independence Day, veterinarians and wildlife rescue groups in Delhi have reported a sharp surge in bird injuries, most of them caused by the banned 'Chinese manjha'.

Over 250 birds were rescued between August 1 and 4, with most of these cases involving deep cuts, broken limbs or loss of eyesight due to the banned manjha, according to Vidya Sagar Jeev Daya Parivar, an NGO that runs round-the-clock bird ambulance services across Delhi-NCR.

The organisation said it received around 300 distress calls during this four-day period.

Chinese manjha is a synthetic string often coated with powdered glass or metal, making it sharp enough to cause fatal injuries. Despite being officially banned, it continues to be sold across markets in the capital.

Under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita 2023, the use of Chinese manjha is a punishable offence, carrying a fine of up to Rs 5,000 or imprisonment for up to one year.

''On average, we got 75 to 100 calls a day and were able to rescue about 50 birds every day. Sometimes, out of every 50, at least five are so gravely injured that they do not survive.

''These include cases where wings are cut off or internal injuries are too severe from hanging for hours without food or water,'' said Abhishek Jain, Director of the NGO.

Amit Jain, the chairperson of the NGO, said that pigeons are the most commonly affected, followed by eagles, parrots, and occasionally peacocks.

''Pigeons are actually the ones with very good immunity; they mostly survive anything, so they do not succumb to death, but other bird types struggle a lot,'' he said.

''But this season we see mutilation cases where even they are losing limbs or the ability to walk due to prolonged trauma and starvation,'' he added.

The NGO claims it has rescued over 10,000 birds across the region since January 1. During the off season, there would be 30 to 40 calls daily, the reason could vary from paralysis, starvation or being stuck on a wire or tree.

Jain said the number of calls typically begins rising from the first week of August, peaks around the Independence Day week, and gradually tapers off by the end of the month.

Many of the injured birds are found near rooftop water tanks, stuck in tree branches, or entangled in overhead electrical wires, they added.

Veterinarians working in high-density areas have reported similar figures. "I receive around 50 to 80 bird injury cases daily during this period. More than half are pigeons, about 15 to 20 are eagles, and the rest include sparrows, peacocks and other species,'' said Dr Rameshwar, a private veterinarian.

Over 90 per cent of these injuries are due to Chinese manjha these days, he said.

He added that cases start increasing from August 1, peak during the Independence Day week, and slowly decline by the month-end. The cuts are often deep, and in some cases, birds come in with exposed bones and the string sometimes even cuts across these bones.

The government must enforce strict controls for these numbers to go down, he stressed.

Dr Rakesh Mishra, who works for another animal welfare NGO, said the month of August poses specific dangers for birds.

''This is the breeding season for many birds. With heavy rains and strong winds, nests fall, and young birds attempting their first flight often get caught in manjha. These threads slice through wings and nerves, leading to permanent damage or death,'' he said.

''The government has banned it, but the ban must be strictly enforced. Strict repercussions must be there for people who fail to follow these rules, because a life is a life, be it of a human or of a bird,'' he said.

Amit Jain, urging people to stop manjha, said, ''It is not only illegal, it is deadly. If you must fly kites, use cotton thread. These birds suffer silently, but the damage is very real.'' The cotton thread gets weak and falls apart easily, posing a lesser risk to the birds, but the Chinese ones take months to lose strength, he said.

The NGO said the highest number of rescue calls have come from areas such as Jamuna Paar, South Extension, Noida, and parts of Ghaziabad.

''These are zones where kite-flying activity is intense and the population density is high. We see a consistent spike in calls from these regions every August,'' said Abhishek Jain.

Interestingly, the organisation noted that the issue is not limited to any one social or educational background.

''It would be unfair to say that only uneducated communities are responsible. We receive an equal number of calls from well-off, educated neighbourhoods and so-called posh societies. Awareness is the real gap, not education,'' Jain said.

Not just birds, humans too have fallen victim to the dangers of Chinese manjha. Earlier this year, a man died after a sharp string slit his neck while he was riding a scooter in North Delhi.

In ongoing efforts to curb its circulation, the Delhi Police arrested two men allegedly involved in the sale of the banned string and recovered 660 rolls of Chinese manjha from their possession on August 4.

Raids to seize stock and identify illegal suppliers have been carried out across the city over time.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)