Over 100 birds across Mumbai hurt by manja thread

Despite issuing preventive orders ahead of Makar Sankranti, Mumbai Police had registered 92 cases on the sale of nylon manja kite string in the city. The order had said that the use of manja thread kites would be a punishable offence as every year during the festival, people and birds succumb to extreme injury due to kite threads made out of nylon, plastic, synthetic or glass coated Chinese manja thread. Aarey Key Foundation and Mumbai Animal Association Foundation had rescued over 100 birds in the last three days while 12 pigeons, a kite and an asian koel couldn’t survive the injuries and died.. Omkar Babar from AKF said, “We have pigeons, black kites, rose ring parrots, house crow, flamingos, parakeets, owls, asian koels, common myna, falcons and many more who were found with their wings slit, their toes and tarsus cut such that they may never walk again, some have their throat slit, and some lose their ability to fly or fetch food for themselves and in such cases, we foster them for life. In the last two years, we have had over 810 birds rescued of which 200 were injured by manja” Pawan Sharma, who is founder and president of RAWW and Honorary Wildlife Warden with Forest Department said his organisation has rescued 52 birds in two days: three flamingos, 12 kites, four parakeets, nine crows, two koel and 22 pigeons.