Animal Activists Ready To Rescue Birds

    Like every year, enthusiasts are all set to display their kitefighting skills on Makar Sankranti. At the same time, volunteers of animal welfare associations are preparing themselves for the large number of animal casualties they witness on the day.

    “Birds are the worst affected during this festival. About 80% of the casualties are pigeons with injured wings or necks. It becomes impossible to save them if vital organs are damaged,’’ said Col J C Khanna of the Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA). Even after the police sent out a circular warning people against using glass-coated manja, its use has not decreased. The number of pigeons in the city has gone down in the past five years,’’ he added.

    People For Animals, a welfare organisation is trying to create awareness in the city about the hazards of manja. “One should avoid flying kites before 9am and after 5pm, as this is when birds hunt for food or fly back to their nests. People should avoid travelling in open vehicles or walking in open spaces,’’ said Dharmesh Solanki of the organisation. He also said that if someone spots an injured bird, they should call the local animal welfare organisation immediately. “Chinese manja is made of plastic. It can be dangerous too, but not as much as the glasscoated one. Cotton threads are the least harmful,’’ Khanna said. “The level of awareness has increased over the years. Many stalls in the city have stopped selling glass-coated manja, Solanki said. —Shreya Bhandary

source: http://epaper.timesofindia.com:80/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEwLzAxLzE0I0FyMDA2MDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom