Birds injured due to synthetic manja rescued

The anti-poaching squad set up to rescue birds from synthetic Chinese manja used in flying kites saved the lives of eight birds here from 13 January till date on a special drive during Sankranthi.

The 24-hour helpline at Aranya Bhavan started receiving information regarding injury to birds which got entangled in glass-coated manja used in kite flying during the Sankrathi festival.

A total of nine birds were recovered by the anti-poaching squad, from localities like Ashoknagar, Mettuguda, Masabtank, Kukatpally, Panjagutta, Santoshnagar, Lakdikapool and Airport Colony, Picket. The rescues involved birds and animals like black kite, pigeon and fruit bat.

However, one bird was found dead, others were injured after getting caught in the manja thread. Five of the injured birds were handed over to the veterinary officers at Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, for treatment and three birds, which did not have serious injuries, were released. Some of these birds were found hanging by the thread from tree tops and electrical lines. They were rescued by removing the manja thread.

Post Sankranthi, the manja thread were found entangled on tree tops and electrical lines which need to be removed for safety of birds and humans. The citizens of the twin cities are requested to help the Forest Department in removing the manja thread from roof tops and telephone wires, officials said.

The Forest Department has launched a massive campaign to create awareness among the sellers and buyers of synthetic and nylon glass-coated manja, and conducted search operations at various outlets and seized more than 350 kgs of synthetic or nylon manja from 72 shops in and around the city.