Volunteers from the People for Animals (PFA) rescued a Black kite, which was trapped in manja strings on Cunningham Road, on Wednesday.

The bird was hanging on a tree at a height of 45 feet near Chamundeshwari Studio on Cunningham Road.

Sonu, a PFA volunteer, reached out to the Fire and Emergency Services department. They offered 20-ft-long bamboo poles. The PFA team pieced together two poles and cut the string to set the bird free.

After a three-hour operation, the bird was rescued. The two nylon strings (manjas), in which the bird was entangled, were carefully removed. One string was around the bird’s neck and torso and the other string, which also had glass pieces stuck on it, was around its left wing.

The rescuers also found a large stack of Manja strings, around 30 ft long, near the tree. It was traced from a terrace to the tree that was at a distance of 10 feet. The Kite is undergoing treatment at the PFA’s Wildlife Hospital.

According to Sonu, the number of bird-rescue calls have increased after the Sankranti festival, during which many kite flying competitions were held in the City. Last year alone PFA rescued 154 Black Kites from manja strings and this year, after the festive fervour, the PFA has been receiving three calls per day to rescue birds.