3 birds trapped by killer manja strings rescued

Three birds, two black kites and a crow, were rescued from the clutches of the ‘manja’ string in a span of six hours, due to the efforts of the organisation People for Animals (PFA).

On Thursday morning, PFA chief rescuer Chetan received a call from the Shivajinagar police officials regarding a black kite suspended on a tree, in front of the police station, at a height of 80 feet.

He rushed to the spot and informed the Fire department to seek help for the rescue. While waiting for the department officials to arrive, another kite got entangled in the manja string on the same tree at a height of 60 feet.

Later with the Fire department's help, the string attached to the two birds was cut. While the bird that got entangled in the string at 60 feet was freed immediately, the right wing of the kite, which was trapped on the higher branches, was twisted severely due to the robust string. The bird was provided first aid and brought to PFA for treatment. On the same day, PFA received call for rescuing a crow entangled in a manja string at Okalipuram. The caller   informed the rescuer that the crow had been suspended on a tree for over two days. On reaching the spot, Chetan found the bird hanging at a height of 80 feet on a tree. Once again with the help of the Fire department, the string was cut and the bird was brought down to safety. It was administered first aid and brought to the Wildlife Hospital  where it is undergoing treatment.

PFA, in its press release, stated that they get at least two to three manja rescue calls on a daily basis and that the manja string, being one of the sturdiest strings, has claimed the lives of many birds till date.